Boys, Fate, and Other Heroic Bastards
by Tsume Yuki
Summary: "Your, your daughter?" Izuku wobbles, his legs unsteady in a way that has nothing to do with the intense workout he's only half completed. "Yes! Nana-tan is my incredibly talented, smart, bea-" "I think he gets it, you're proud of me." (SI with no knowledge of BNHA)
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

_'What does it mean to be a hero in this day and age? Ask any child and, chances are, they will offer you a name plucked from the top-chart's billboard, as if heroes can be ranked against one another in what ultimately constitutes as a thinly veiled, toxic popularity contest. The pure intentions that had birthed the very origins of heroism have been lost, swallowed in an overwash of money-making, vain contenders who strives solely for their self recognition and the sweet allure of fame, fortune and fans._

_It is for this reason alone that All Might resides unchallenged as our greatest hero.'_

* * *

Yagi Toshinori holds the tiny form of Yagi Nana to his chest, utterly overwhelmed by just how small the little child is in his giant hands. He can easily circle her torso with the fingers and thumbs of both his hands, can hoist her up with a single hand and not feel the slightest bit of strain. She stares into his eyes, the same bright blue irises reflected in her own and then her lips peel back to reveal a gummy smile. There're some teeth, not many, but they're there. Evidence that she's on solid food is smeared around her lips, mashed carrots and potatoes would be his guess, given the colour.

With the utmost care, Toshinori cradles the little girl (this little miracle) to his chest. He can only wonder why Selene never though to tell him before, why she only dared to speak of the little girl's existence as she lay on her death bed.

Tiny palms press into the sides of his cheeks, baby babble tumbling out from between her lips at a rapid rate and he doesn't understand a word of it. What he does know is that those eyes are glimmering with delight at his very existence, those fingers exploring the contours of his face with wonder. Does she see the same blue eyes, the same blonde hair that resides upon her own head? Does she notice how his own jawline is sharper, more angular than her own?

Does she realise they are family this early in their acquaintance?

Toshinori ignores the way Naomasa and Sorahiko are both standing by the door and watching him. He's got much more important things to focus on.

After all, Yagi Nana is the most precious being in existence and he shall smite any that claim otherwise.

* * *

_Having risen far above what any hero before him has ever ascended to, All Might stands as the modern-day pinnacle of perfection, the heralded Hercules of our era. Having paved the way for a new generation of heroes, all vying for the number one pedestal he guards so effortlessly, it becomes near impossible to not idealise the man. _

_However, a man's shoulders are only so broad. Only so strong. And, despite the quasi-divinity of the legacy he has built, All Might is but a man. And as all men are wont to do, even he shall eventually bow his neck to the passage of time. Which creates the impending question; who, if any, will prove capable of taking up Atlas' burden?_

* * *

Yagi Nana is a blessed child. She's well aware of that fact, milks it a little when she feels the need. Yagi Nana has her Papa wrapped around her little finger and she knows it, adores it. She adores the man who is her father and her father adores her. All in all, it's a perfect little relationship they've got going on. It's just a shame he works long hours and has to leave her with the man she's beginning to suspect isn't her grandfather but, rather, her father's mentor.

Not that it matters. He's still Gran-Tori all the same.

"Tori! Tori!" She stumbles after him on her stubby little baby legs, feet hammering against the floor but she couldn't care any less. What matters is that they are playing tag and he is just out of reach, if only she could just go a little faster, put a little more power into her legs-

* * *

He's at a quirk specialist, the expensive kind. But what else can he do, other than find out if what Torino has theorised is true?

Nana sits on his lap, scowling down at the pot she has on her right leg, the one she'd pushed off on as her quirk activated. A quirk that looks frighteningly like One for All. Could he has potentially passed on the quirk to his own daughter by accident? He knows she's never eaten a hair, but… children are made with genetic material from both parties, after all.

Fighting down the blush, Toshinori plucks up his daughter as their last name is called to the room at large, once again thankful for the option heroes are given to hide their name on the registry. Otherwise, there would no doubt be people clambering to talk to him. Toshinori has zero problems with that normally. But he's not here as All Might right now. He's here as Nana's father and he dearly needs to keep people from recognising him, from realising he has his own child (especially with All for One still out there but he could never hope to give Nana up now). So that means a wig of ridiculous hair, it means three layers of padding around his waist so that, instead of looking muscular and heroic, he only looks bigger than the average man. If it's lumpy in places, well, that can be passed off as a quirk. He still hides himself behind Nana and her wild hair, the hair that is slowly darkening to a pinky brown, same as her mother had once had. His blue eyes persist though; he hopes they'll remain that way too.

.

He's got the order from the Hero Commission, the document that says nothing said within this room could be repeated again. There's an acronym but, for the life of him, Toshinori cannot recall the three letters. He's much more worried about Nana, so he explains, without hesitation.

If the quirk specialist he's seeing has to sit himself down upon realising that it is All Might within his room, well, he politely ignores it and continues with the overview of One for All. He doesn't share everything, just enough for the man to get the picture.

Some testing later (including allowing the man to place his palm upon Toshinori's head and Nana's too) and then they're done. One for All remains with him, nestled deep in his breast and not passed down to his child. As far as the doctor can tell, Nana has her own variation of it; the same power stockpiling element, but it's drawn from the family line. She will have all of his power and add to it with her own. It's both a relief and a terror; All for One will not hunt his daughter down as he has done the previous holders. But she has a genetic stockpiling quirk; all the power of One for All, but none of the resistance to quirk theft that his own quirk has. And her little body just doesn't have the support to house the quirk. Not yet, anyway.

Nana rests her head on his shoulders as they walk out the building, the pot pressing against his torso but he ignores it. She's tiny, only a year and two months old.

She is the most precious thing in the universe.

He needs to find out how early a child can start training; he cannot risk his baby girl blowing her body up because of how her quirk has mutated. No, Nana's future is her own; if she wishes to be a hero, then he will support her, just as he will support her with any other venture. But she does need training up enough that her won quirk won't destroy her. That much is evident.

"Love you~" Nana mumbles into his chest, sleep heavy in her voice and words clenching Toshinori's heart where it resides within his chest.

"And I love you, Nana-tan."

* * *

**I have no excuse, other than this came from 'First Man' by Camila Cabello and I liked the thought of All Might freaking over potentially giving One for All to a baby (which he's not done, btw).**

**Tsume  
****xxx**


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Yagi Nana enters her apartment slowly, dropping her bag and shrugging out of the jacket that has been thrown over her shoulders, arms stretching up and over her head. Her muscles ache, but it's the satisfying kind of pain, the fruits of a good day's work. She meanders to the kitchen, plucking up a handful of grapes from the bowl as she makes for the fridge. Soon enough, a bottle of milk is liberated from the chilled confines, emptied into a glass retrieved from the draining board. She chances a quick glance towards the abandoned duffle by the door, the sleeve of her hero costume half-poking out. She really, really should be putting it in the wash for tomorrow.

But she also really, really needs a nap after an eight-hour patrol that somehow became a thirteen-hour working day. Damn villains.

She downs the milk, eyes still on the accusing piece of fabric that needs a wash. She's working tomorrow again, has every intention of turning up for her job. A job she loves, a job she takes pride in completing.

But, oh, a nice nap sounds great right about now.

"Damn it, Dad." He'd done too good a job of instilling a good work ethic in her and, more importantly, the importance of never leaving a job unfinished.

Bouncing across the small stretch of her living room, Nana snatches up her costume, scuttling to the washer and throwing the offending piece of fabric in. The fabric conditioner and funky little capsule follows, the machine whirling to life a moment later. Yeah, now she can go sleep.

She has pre-work breakfast with dad tomorrow to look forwards to, after all.

* * *

_There is no better end to a hard day's work than relaxing into the great length of the couch and having his darling daughter wiggle her way between his bulk and the cushions to join him. _

_Nana's hands are slathered with strawberry jam; even though he managed to keep the suit clean while saving the city, he'll still have to put it through a wash cycle. Toshinori couldn't care less. _

_He scoops her up into his arms, hoisting her up with hands under her armpits until she's held out above him, joyous little laugh echoing through the air. Her cheeks are rosy red, eyes still that same bright blue, baby teeth all white and sparkling. _

_"Daddy! I drew you a picture today, and I got ten outta ten in my maths test and then I played with Ami-chan until it started raining and she went inside, but I splashed in the puddles until Matsuri-sensei said I had to come in!" _

_When he sets her back down on his chest, Nana digs through her pocket, retrieving a crumpled-up piece of paper that she eagerly unravels. Upon the page, there's a startling likeness of himself in wax crayon. He's not sure if he's just being a proud papa by thinking it's more advanced than others her age, so Toshinori pushes the thought away in favour of another._

_"We're running out of fridge space, Nana-tan."_

_They both pause, twisting to look towards the kitchen. Indeed, there's a mass amount of drawings and pre-school work already on there, each held on by an All Might magnet. There's the first time Nana wrote her name, her first 'love you' note, the pictures she draws of his latest rescue or villain take down. There's a handful of Gran Torino, but it's blatantly obvious exactly who Nana's favourite person is. _

_"Then we get another fridge! And we keep my food in one and yours in the other but I decorate them both!" _

_Toshinori laughs, hiding his face in the rose-brown hair that frames Nana's face. He doesn't say that they both eat the same things whenever he's off, doesn't say it'd be a waste of money or that it's unnecessary. Instead, he redirects. _

_"Or, we can move them all to the wall."_

_Nana's eyes go round, mouth popping open as she sits up straighter on his chest, one hand reaching for his hair. It's a habit she's picked up from... somewhere. Toshinori doesn't know where it's come from, only that Torino finds it endlessly amusing when she's riding on his shoulders and she grasps at his hair like they're reins. The only saving grace is that he never has his hair up when he's home. _

_"The whole wall?" she whispers, eyeing up the space that he's suddenly made available. "I'm gonna need to make some more drawings."_

_Undoubtedly, Nana has ever intention of making for the kitchen table to go and create some new artwork. Toshinori, however, has not seen his daughter all day. _

_He snatches her up again, leaping to his feet and spinning her tiny body over his head. No matter how quick he twists, her, he's exceedingly careful about it, the placement of his hands just so in order to keep her stable and happy. _

_Nana laughs, bright and happy and so very alive. She's the light of his life his little gemstone in the rough and tumble of everything else. Nana was clearly a better person than he was; he'll never be able to give up his daughter, not as his dear sensei had done for her son. _

* * *

_Does she feel guilty passing herself off as a child? A little bit. But... but her dad is just amazing. It's so easy to fall into the role her childlike brain wants, to surrender to the chemical cocktail in her brain that says high emotion and little to no thought process is the way forwards. There are times when she just... forgets. It's lessening now as she grows older, but there's still more than there is less. _

_This isn't one of those moments._

_Nana eyes this 'David' and he eyes her right back. Her tiny hand is encircled in Papa's almighty (hehehe) fist. She has to stand on her tiptoes to keep the hand holding going but she doesn't really care (okay, she does. Stupid kid body needs to grow a bit quicker; Dad's a goliath, so she won't be short… right?) because all that matter is that he's still holding onto her. _

_Is she attached? Hell yeah. She's got the best father on the planet and she'll fight anyone who says otherwise. Given her quirk (and how cool is that!) she'll probably break all the arms involved (including her arm; less cool). _

_"…this is a surprise." _

_"You have a daughter too!" _

_They speak at the same time and, to Nana's irritation, her father lets go of her hand to scoop up the other man in his huge grip. That the little girl who's in this David's hands also gets hoisted into the air only makes her frown that little bit harder. Hey, sue her. She's not had to share her Papa with anyone other than Gran Torino before (and she rather gets the impression the other hero would eagerly wash his hands of Papa for a few days if he could get away with it). Not even with the other kids at school; Papa has a wig and some strange gizmo thing that changes his face slightly so he can drop her off at school whenever he's not working (sadly, it's not an often occurrence). The point is; Nana has never had to share her Papa's attention before. Then, suddenly here they are, on this strange island to pick up his new costume. And yeah, she's really excited to see the new costume but she hadn't realised that they'd be interacting with… an old friend. _

_Papa plants the other man down on the floor, the toddler in his arms still staring at her Papa in wonder and Nana decides she's had quite enough of this. Logical adult brain goes against childish kid brain and loses spectacularly. _

_She's climbing halfway up Papa's leg before he gathers his wits to peel her off his thigh, tucking her into his arms so she can inspect this stranger at eye level._

_"David, meet Yagi Nana! My brilliant little daughter!" And he presents her before him, outstretched in his arms and Nana scrunches her face up, hands reaching for Papa's to clamp down on them (as much as her measly baby hands can manage). _

_"I'm Nana and Papa's mine."_

_Papa chuckles; it's the same warm, amused thing he produces every time she gets territorial. She gets so little of his time as is; she can't fault him for it, not when he's the greatest hero in the world. _

_Doesn't mean she can't get moody with those that try to muscle in on that time. _

_"It's nice to meet you, Nana-chan," David says in jolted Japanese, even though she'd understood him fine when he was speaking in English earlier. Then again, it's not like she can admit to being fluent in English at seven years old. She's not super-smart, after all. Just super-strong and super-fast and super-capable of breaking her own bones at the moment. _

_Damn quirk. _

_"This is Melissa, my little girl." _

_And, okay, now that the kid's not stealing all of Papa's attention, Nana can admit she's kinda cute. Not as cute as Nana herself, but she's not too far off. _

_"Now come on, I'll show you the new costume."_

* * *

_Midoriya Izuku is twelve years old and sitting down for tea with his mother when All Might drops the bomb. _

_It's during a television interview, the hero fresh off the scene of the incident and sticking around to reassure the populous that all is well. He's been doing less of that than normal in the last two years; there'd been a few months before that where he'd dropped off the map completely. _

_If Izuku has to guess, he'd assume the hero was deep undercover in something. That on the fight with Toxic Chainsaw- no, doesn't matter. What matters is-_

_Both he as Mum stare at the screen, stare at All Night's expression. One that clearly says 'oops'. The camera doesn't cut to the reports, but Izuku can guess their expressions._

_"I- I don't think we heard the right, did you just say-" the woman cuts off, as if feeling stupid at the idea of even repeating the words. All Might is still smiling now, rising from his seat with one hand rubbing at the back of his neck. _

_"I- Yes! I admit, it does bring me great relief to have returned those children to their parents! Excuse me, I have a patrol to return to." And then he's gone, up and away, as if not repeating himself, as if trying to hastily redirect attention away from his previous word will make them forget everything. _

_"I know if it were my dau-"_

_But now he's gone, leaving the very weighty implication that All Might has a child resting amongst the minds of the media and all those watching. _

* * *

Yagi Nana is twenty-one years old and has been a professional hero for a year, has been working in the hero business for three years when she gets the call.

'A phonecall is here!' It's a common ringtone; no one stares at her, even as the voice of the Number One Hero rings through the crowd. Nana slips the phone from her back pocket, accepting before she even glances at the lock-screen alert. She does, after all, only have that ringtone saved for one person.

"Hello?"

"Nana-tan? I've found my successor."

* * *

**Turns out, this fic isn't gonna have big chapters. But, you know, hopefully they'll come quicker because of that?**

**Tsume  
****xxx**


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

It's a crisp March morning and Nana is on a beach presenting as a junkyard. Perhaps scrapyard would be more apt given it doesn't smell like a tip and it's mainly metal as far as she can see. There're several abandoned cars and everything. Even a fridge, which she's perched herself upon. Swinging her legs back and forth, Nana tucks a loose strand of hair behind her ear, twisting to get a better look at the kid. He's not noticed her yet, hasn't looked up from where he's trying to cart a broken washing machine across the sand. His red trainers are covered in the stuff, worn and wary; he's clearly been at this a while.

Well, Nana knows he's been at this a while, Dad had told her as much a month ago. She just… hadn't wanted to come and see him. Not yet. She doesn't want to acknowledge it; doesn't want to recognise what it means. Because if Dad is passing on One for All, then that means the end of All Might is approaching faster than she wants. And it's difficult. It hurts, the thought of it all. Because All Might is her Dad's life; he loves his job, he hates not being able to give his best ever since his injury. To lose One for All, even if he is giving it up voluntarily… well, it's a terrible thought.

It's why Nana has put this off. Meeting the kid, that is. It's shameful of her, but that's where they're at.

Still, it is funny to see how long it will take him to notice.

.

The sun continues to climb into the sky, the temperature slowly warms to the point where Nana shrugs out of her jacket, but the kid still doesn't notice her. Lips twisting up into a smile as Dad shows up, Nana slouches a little further forward, one elbow resting on her knee, chin balanced on her closed fist. When the kid calls out 'All Might' at the sight of Dad, well, Nana just cannot help herself.

"All Might?! Where?!"

The kid jumps out of his skin and Dad, despite clearly knowing she's here, sprays out a mouthful of blood. Guilt races through Nana's bones but she pushes it down, focusing on the kid. His face, how it pales so drastically, is hilarious.

"A-A-All Might? W-Where? There's no All Might here, not at all!" he laughs, nervously looking around, as if hoping for some back-up that'll come and rescue him from such an obvious slip up.

"Come on now, you clearly just called this guy All Might. What's going on? Is All Might sick or something?!"

That just makes the kid sweat even more, stammering and spluttering and gesturing as if this'll cancel out his mistakes.

"Nana-tan, this isn't funny."

"Awe, come on, it was a little funny."

Hopping down from the top of the fridge, Nana lands in the sand a few feet away, strolling closer as she pockets one hand, the other clutching the jacket she throws over one shoulder.

He's a cute kid, that much is clear, all big eyes and fluffy hair. And he's got freckles! Awe, he's adorable. He won't have an issue gathering up a fan-base once he gets going. Oh, and she's got her own agency now! She can take him under her wing as an intern for a bit! After all, her quirk is frighteningly familiar to One for All, she's trained the same way her dad had, even if she'd struggled a bit more with it.

According to Gran-Tori, Dad'd been a natural with One for All and she shouldn't compare herself to his 'bullheadedness'.

"Nana-tan, this is young Midoriya Izuku. Young Midoriya, this is Yagi Nana."

"Yagi- but… but didn't you say-"

"That my surname is Yagi?" Dad declares, hands on hips and suddenly in muscle form. It's the same proud stance he'd taken at her graduation, even if it had been in his weakened form. "Why yes, it is indeed! As my successor, you will be working closely with Nana-tan. My beloved daughter!"

Skipping the last few steps forwards until she's right by Dad's elbow, Nana stares at the kiddo, this Midoriya Izuku who her father has decided to give his quirk to. His bright eyes, his watery smile, the shocked realisation- wait, what?

"You're Fortify!" he chokes out, hands trembling and there's suddenly a book in his hands, a pen presented to her. "Can I get your autograph?!"

.

* * *

.

_"Nana-tan? What happened?" _

_Her arms folded, Nana mulishly continues to stare out of the window, chin hidden between the cross of her forearms. Helplessly, Toshinori looks to Gran Torino but the other offers him no more than a shrug of his shoulders, coupled with the oh so familiar 'you're on your own here, kid' expression. Ah, if only he could have been the one to pick Nana up from the principal's office then perhaps he'd have found out what happened. _

_But he couldn't. He never could, not with All for One lurking in the shadows. He's already done more than his master dared by keeping his child close. He'd never forgive himself if he drew even more attention to her, painted an even larger target on her back than he already had. _

_"Nana-tan, please." Kneeling beside his baby girl, he's not at all surprised when she throws herself into his arms, face mashed into his collarbone and leaking a delightful mixture of snot and tears. He'll live. Though the costume may need an update._

_Drawing the great expanse of his cape around the two of them, Toshinori fully seats himself on the floor, cradling Nana to his chest._

_"Th-They didn't believe me when I said I have an autograph from All Might himself. It's... it's so hard to pretend when all I wanna do is shout from the rooftops about how amazing you are." Her voice wobbles as she reeling in a shaky breath, tiny fists clenching into the fabric of his shirt before she continues. "Everyone else was talking about their parents, what jobs they've got and how they're so cool and as awesome as Gran-Tori is... he's not my dad. And I shouldn't let them get to me, but they said you didn't care and I know you do and my emotions are so fucked up-" Nana cuts off with a choked sob and it's a bloody good thing too because Toshinori's heart is in his throat (who on earth taught her that word!) as he hugs his baby girl closer._

_"Oh, Nana-tan, I-"_

_"It's not your fault, Daddy. I just, I gotta get used to it. Just hurts sometimes." It should never hurt. His little girl should never hurt because of him and that heavy rock of guilt sits heavy in his stomach. _

_"I'm sorry, Nana-tan."_

.

_She falls asleep in his arms, no longer crying but with eyes puffy and red. Toshinori doesn't put her to bed in her own room, laying the five year old down in the ridiculous expanse of his own bed while he sits on the chair beside it. _

_Truly, he has been blessed to have such a wonderful child. He's undeserving, selfish thing that he is, clinging to her. But... he just can't give her up. Not unless there was ever a direct threat to her life. _

_All for One can never know about her. _

.

_He falls asleep on the chair, wakes with an awful crick in his neck. Gran-Tori has obviously stopped by and taken Nana to school and the guilt eats him again._

_There's a packed lunch waiting for him in the fridge, a post-it note stuck to the top. _

_A drawing of Nana and him, all in civilian clothes. _

_'All Might is cool, but my Dad is my hero.'_

.

* * *

.

_"Navy and red, Nana-tan?" _

_End of the pencil between her teeth, Nana chances a glance at Dad, lips curling up into a smile at his messy appearance. Clearly fresh off patrol. _

_"Just because I'm gonna become a hero under my own merit, doesn't mean I can't give a nod to you, right?" she muses, drumming up her best grin. It's still not as reassuring as her father's famous expression, still not as brilliant and warm. She doubts anything ever will be. But every time she looks in the mirror, Nana can swear she's getting that little bit closer. _

_Grinning up at her dad, Nana submits herself to the customary hair ruffling before leaping into his waiting arms, working her own around his waist._

_"I got in," she whispers, the proud ember roaring to life in her chest, half-hidden behind her ribcage as she recalls the envelope on the sofa, ripped open with its innards spilled out across the plush cushion. _

_She's a UA student now, officially. She's on her way, she'll be a hero off her own back. Dad had agreed it would be best if she didn't let anyone know who she was. Given his personal history, given who he stands against, it's the only wise course of action._

_"Are you excited?"_

_"Are you kidding me? I'm so excited I could barely breathe when I opened it." Dad laughs and Nana curls up against his side, sighing into his shoulder._

_Sitting and listening to some of his own stories of everything that happened at UA when he was studying there is exactly how she'd like to spend the rest of her evening._

.

* * *

.

Blistering pain slices through Keigo's head and he retreats, one hand pressing to his forehead because fuck, that'd hurt. As he flinches back from the point of collision (the alley had been empty, barring the victim and the villain, and he'd already pinned the latter to the wall via red feathers), he catches sight of the cause.

With the would-be victim curled up in her arms, another hero winces, head half buried down in her shoulders, a large red mark in the centre of her forehead. Huh... He's been... beaten to a rescue? That's new.

The woman plants the teenage-near-casualty on his feet, dusting the soot and dirt from his jacket while seemingly unbothered by the state of her own. The hair'a windswept, cloak flowing down the length of her back and stopping an inch short of the floor.

"The police are right around the corner. Do you need assistance to reach them, or are you capable of reaching them under your own power?"

The teen huffs with reddening cheeks, twisting his head to look away as he mumbled he'll be fine.

So she's pretty then.

Keigo's lips twist to an amused smirk, leaning back and one heel to watch. He's not met this one yet, doesn't recognise her. Then again, he's hardly in his local areas today; it'd been a promotional thing the Hero Commission had all but demanded he attend and Hawks had ducked his head and gone willing.

"I know everyone says it, but man, you're quick!"

The other hero spins and her legs eat up the handful of steps between them, stopping a polite metre of so away from him.

Keigo tilts his head up to meet the woman's eyes. It's not an unusual occurrence for him whenever he's got two feet planted on the ground; that's what happens when your body decides to give you a growth spurt in middle school and middle school only. She's a couple of inches taller than him, probably not six foot but not far off. And the muscles hint at a strength quirk or something else equally as physical.

"It's nice to meet you; I'm Fortify! I just started out as an independent hero!" She presents her hand to him and Keigo slips his into hers, shaking them.

"Yeah, I've heard of you. You side-kicked for Gang Orca, right?" He'd heard about the girl simply because her quirk has made rounds through the other heroes based on its rarity alone. Stockpiling quirks weren't too uncommon, but ones that passed through a family and stockpiled the strength of the family line? Unheard of. He'd been curious enough to listen in simply because of that.

"Hawks. I guess I'm invading your usual patrol route?"

"A little bit. Not that I mind; more heroes on the case can only be a good thing," she says with a grin, one closed fist held up triumphantly before her face. Heh, enthusiastic.

"It was nice to meet you, Hawks, but I gotta keep moving."

The ponytail of pink-brown hair gets flicked back over her shoulder as she crouches slightly before leaping up and into the air, clearing the building with ease.

Rocking back on his heels, Hawks considers the exit that scratches at the back of his brain from the sheer familiarity of it all. There's... something about how she just moved.

Ah well, it'll come to him eventually.

* * *

**So much for the thought of quick chapters. But here we are, another one :)**

**Tsume  
****xxx**


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"Your, your daughter?" Izuku wobbles, his legs unsteady in a way that has nothing to do with the intense workout he's only half completed so far this morning. Obviously, he's going to stop in a panic if he almost gives All Might's secret away. Only he's clearly not gonna be giving this away if Fortify already knows. Because… because she's-

"Yes! Nana-tan is my incredibly talented, smart, bea-"

"I think he gets it, you're proud of me," Fortify, Nana, All Might's daughter, cuts in, an amused tilt to her lips. Clearly this doesn't get to happen very often, what with the fact All Might has been trying to cover that particular slip up for a few years. To the point a great deal of his fanbase has dismissed it. All but the hardcore fanatics, such as Izuku himself. No, he'd spent a fair portion of his time searching the internet, scouring high and low for any hint of a photo.

He'd found one.

One in which All Might had a piece of paper sticking out of his pocket when conducting a fan meet up in civilian clothes. It couldn't possibly have been from a fan, as he'd had it on him upon his arrival. It'd been folded, but on the edge sticking out, there was clearly a drawing of All Might himself in crayon holding a little hand that disappeared of the corner of the paper.

Sure, it was a bit of a leap of logic but… okay, he'd been clutching at straws. But he'd been right!

Fortify has been a hero for a year now, standing at a comfortable 180.2cm, she's more muscular than the average female hero, in line with Mirko in that respect. Given that she's primarily a combat hero with some kind of enhancer quirk, that's to be expected. He only needs to think back on the handful of videos he's seen of her now to recognise the base of her moves all centre around All Might's. Understandable, given the family connection. She's probably been trained by him in how to use her quirk, though if All Might's quirk can be passed on, why he's giving it to Izuku when he has a daughter who's already a hero doesn't make sense. Though, Fortify's quirk is remarkably similar to elements of All Might's, so perhaps there's a genetic factor he's not accounting for there-

"Man, he can really go off on one when you get him started, can't he?"

Fortify's crouched over slightly, their faces level so she can peer into his eyes and Izuku flushes, slapping a hand over his mouth to silence the mumbles. God, how much of that had he said aloud?

"He's cute. I approve. Though we'll need to get some muscle on these noodles." Fortify takes a gentle hold of both his aching biceps, giving them a soft squeeze and shaking her head. Not that Izuku's surprised by her assessment (he's only just started his training; he can't expect to pack on the muscles as quickly as he'd like to). He could do without the cute comment though. Maybe.

He's never exactly been called cute by a girl before. Certainly not a pretty one; even if she at least five years older than him, it's still nice.

Coughing into his hand, Izuku looks around the beach for his next target to move, the washing machine now by the road and awaiting pick up.

"Young Midoriya. Nana-tan and I have compared our schedules and there will be some occasions where she will be helping with your training in my stead."

"Wah- really?!" Maybe Fortify's quirk is closer to All Might's than he'd first expected. It makes totally sense; the overwhelming majority of quirks are genetically created, pulling elements from both parents to synthesis a new one. It's no surprise that Fortify shares elements of her quirk with All Might, in that case.

A cold finger and thumb combo close around his lips and Izuku's cheeks burn as Fortify forcibly silences his second round of mumbling, a sly grin on her face.

"Yeah, I can work with this."

.

He doesn't expect 'Nana-tan helping with his training in All Might's steed' to start the very next day.

"Good morning, Midoriya-kun."

Izuku damn near chokes on his tongue in shock, flinching back in surprise and almost clobbering his skull on the apartment's letterboxes.

Leaning against the wall to their apartment complex, Fortify (All Might's daughter! He knows who All Might's daughter is but he can't tell anybody, not that he'd ever dream of doing so) stands with her arms folded across her chest, a wry smile on her lips and a water flask attached at her hip. She's in running gear. And… Izuku peers down at his legs, just to double check. Yep, he's in running gear too.

"Ahh! Fortify-san!"

"Just Nana will do, Midoriya-kun." She smiles again and it's both the same and nothing at all like All Might's. It's soft and gentle; it still makes his guts warm and his limbs squirm with nerves. "After all, we're running partners whenever I've got time off." A closed fist pumps into the air and there's the same energetic grin on her face from All Might's early days.

Izuku's heart completes a flawless triple flip at the sight; if he'd ever had any doubt about their relationship, this solidifies the fact that Nana is All Might's daughter.

"Ah, th-thank you, Nana-san! I appreciate all your help!"

"Naw, it's no problem at all, Midoriya-kun. Dad believes in you, so that means I'm gonna help drag you up to standards, whether you like it or not."

That's… that's ominous.

.

The Fortify Workout damn near kills him. Or, that's what it feels like. Izuku could very easily call it quits on the rest of today but he really does need to attend school; keeping up his good grades will only help him in his application to be considered for UA; he's pretty sure All Might can't pull any strings to get him in without blowing the lid on his secret and that's the last thing Izuku wants.

Still, it's a little embarrassing to be carted back the last leg of their run via piggyback. Though if this workout gives him muscles the likes of which Nana sports, then he'll be fulfilled.

"Do you need any help getting to school, Midoriya-kun?" Nana asks, lugging him further up her back, as if he were in any danger of slipping from her reliable grasp.

"Ah- n-no, I'm good, Nana-san." The last thing he needs to do is to get piggybacked to the school grounds. Fortify's still quite new in her role as a hero, so there's not much chance she'll be recognised. No one else is as into heroes as he is. Other than Kacchan. But Kacchan only really pays attention to the top ten or so. Not much dangerous of him recognising her.

Nonetheless, getting physically carried to school will be the last blow his reputation could suffer.

"Alrighty then!" Instead of swinging him down and off her back, All Might's daughter bounces through the open door of the apartment complex, nearly knocking down Mrs Hamaka who'd been in the middle of leaving for her work commute. Izuku calls a quick 'sorry' to the woman as he disappears up the stairs, still comfortably held on Nana's back as she takes the stairs two at a time, as if she hasn't got fifty or so kilograms of teenager to lug around.

Standing before his apartment door, Nana raps her knuckles against the wood and Izuku buries his head into her shoulder, resigning himself to the fact his Mum's gonna know that he's interacting with at least one hero.

She's gonna freak.

.

* * *

.

_Everyone at school had oohed and ahhed over her All Might themed cast (even as her teacher had stared in complete bafflement because sure the ER department did hero themes, but that signature looked suspiciously authentic) when Nana turned up from the day. _

_Now, sitting in the back of Gran Tori's car, she swings her one good leg, doing her best to ignore the bum one. This is the second time she's broken this leg and it's for the same reason. Well, sort off. She'd not been escaping Gran Tori, just practicing. She could get the smallest, smallest trickle of that heady power to rush through her veins and not threaten to blow her limbs off. She's gotten quite good at that in the past three years._

_Keeping her quirk from ramping up to supernova strength when she's startled though? Yeah, that's something else entirely._

_Nana brings her rapid-fire waffle of everything that's happened to her today to a halt, nibbling in her lower lip as she eyes her Papa's old teacher and her favourite (only) babysitter. _

_"What's with the face, Squirt." That's another thing; Gran Tori never calls her by name. Looks like it physically pains him whenever Papa does. She knows she's named after her Papa's old master, after Gran Tori's friend. She must have been very important to him if hearing her name still causes him pain. _

_"Dunno. Kinda happy, I guess? I… Do you think I can be a hero, Gran Tori?"_

_Her elder snorts, forcing the car into part. He's short but there's a lot of people with a lot of mutations now; obviously cars have been developed to allow access for all people. Though he has been grumbling about selling the 'petrol-guzzling thing' already in favour of a rail card. Despite her five years of life here, Nana's never been on one of the bullet trains that stretches from town to town. It'll be an experience for sure. _

_"I think, Squirt, that you can be whatever you want to be. You're that lug-head's daughter, after all." Nana hums, turning to look out the window. It's not as if she's expecting to see hero fights going on in the middle of the street; most villains avoid busy highways, if only because the chances of one car containing an off-duty hero is higher than on the small roads. _

_Still, it'd be pretty cool to see one in real life instead of through a TV screen. _

.

_When they get back to the apartment, Nana instantly starts in on her own future of a hero, sketchbook in one chubby hand and pencil in the other. Japanese is hard to learn, though both Gran Tori and Papa have been teaching her English too, out of respect for her American mother. Still, she probably shouldn't be so advanced as to make the kind of notes that she wants to. So, she'll just have to settle for drawings right now. Given that fine motor skills have reset to zero in this body, there's no way for her to appear unnaturally prodigious with drawing at this age, just more talented than her peers. _

_Plus, her eyes still aren't developed enough (or is it her brain?) to really recognise perspective and the other shit. Eh, she'll just have to do her best._

_Lying on her belly on the floor as Gran Tori goes about sorting out dinner, Nana starts on her first hero costume with no other ideas than it needs to be navy and red. _

.

* * *

.

"Hello again."

Nana tilts her head back, searching for the source of the greeting, the voice sort of familiar. She's in her costume again, even though it's her day off. After all, this is pretty much charity work, as much as her receptionist insists it's a publicity thing. As far as Nana's concerned, getting to work with children for the day is like charity-work for inspiring the next generation.

She can still remember when Gang Orca had turned up at her own school when she'd been six years old, terrifying more than half the residents despite his status as a in-training pro-hero. Nana had been the one to step up to him and brazenly announce she'd be becoming his sidekick in the future. And, well, she hadn't exactly been telling a lie, had she? Even if she'd only been there a year before opening her own hero agency.

There's a powerful flap as wind's displaced and then there's Hawks standing beside her, also in hero get-up with his hands buried deep in his pockets and his sharp eyes on her.

"Good morning, Hawks. On patrol?"

"Not technically, but a hero's work never ends, no?" He falls into step with her, large red wings folding in to almost imitate the cape that billows out behind her. Is he- nah, Hawks doesn't seem like the type to mock another person about their choice of apparel.

"What brings you to my neck of the woods, Miss Minato-based hero?"

"Should I be flattered you looked me up, Mr Number Three?" Nana asks before she can think better of it. She glances away, eyes flittering further down the street, searching for the sign for Hidamari Kindergarten. Pulling meet and greets at schools is something she's picked up from Gang Orca, who doesn't have as much time on his hands as he'd like to be able to go visit. She supposes he goes to introduce himself, to prove that some heroes may look scary, but that they're there to help. It's probably in his best interest in truth, desensitising the younger generation. Nana, well, she doesn't need to prove herself harmless based on her appearance alone. Nah, she's here in Fukuoka to inspire some kids, just like she was inspired.

"Not everyday I meet a hero capable of keeping up with me." Hawks turns to look at her now, smiling even as several feathers break off to help a bunch of parents with the delivery of their children to school. Nana watches the thin red feathers as they gather up bags, dazzle under-five's and bring sweet, sweet relief of parents. All the while, their wielder doesn't so much as look in the direction. What an insane amount of control, he understanding Hawks has of his quirk must be sensationally good, the kind you can only get with hours and hours of training.

"Part of what inspired me to become a hero was one visiting my school when I was little," Nana admits, tightening the ponytail at the top of her head, bangs brushing up against her cheekbones, "I want to do the same thing and my receptionist sent me this way."

"Sounds fun Count me in."

* * *

**This chapter is brought to you by that one picture of Nana using float in the manga and my brain going 'yes, that's 'round about how this Nana's body should look'**

**Tsume  
****xxx**


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

'_While a familiar face among the residents of Fukuoka, it's not every day that Hawks steps down from him role as the Number Three Pro Hero to perform something other than his usual villain take-downs and civilian rescues. Stopping by the local kindergarten to inspire children is right up there with what we'd expect of our beloved Number Three, bringing another up-coming hero along for the ride…_'

Yeah, he probably should have expected this; that the media would find out what was going on and twist it so he's the central focus. He feels pretty shitty about it all, that Fortify's ended up as just another tagline (not even mentioned by name) in a long spiral all about him when meeting and inspiring kids wasn't even his idea. Not much he can do about it though. If he tries to insist that it was Fortify's thing all along and he only tagged along, they'll undoubtedly spin it that the other hero only invited him for the publicity that his involvement will bring. Which, yeah, that sucks balls.

**Hawks:  
**_Hey sorry for poaching your press_

Clicking the phone off, Keigo makes for the open balcony of his agency's top floor, wings stretching wide and free once he's standing atop the shallow railings. He'd gotten Fortify's number as they'd finished up yesterday; it's all about networking right now in the hero world, what with All Might's heroics becoming more and more fleeting. Something is up and surely someone must know something. And Keigo; well, Keigo knows that when you're removed from the situation (such as the Top Ten) then you tend to see things others don't. He's made friends with six others fresh on the scene and just from talking to them, he's getting more of an impression of how new heroes think. A lot of it is influenced by All Might, but then All Might and Hero are pretty much synonymous by now.

**Fortify:**  
_Don't worry about it, if I'd been doing it for press, I'd have invited them myself; the school were the ones to call in the local fraction. Got a busy day planned? x_

She uses punctuation in texts? Yeah, the new generation are strange.

Keigo valiantly ignores the fact there's probably only a year or two difference between them at most; he's been a pro-hero for three years now; he wouldn't have even been in school with this fresh batch of heroes, even if there's only the odd outlier that go straight into pro-hero like he did. Most take a few years as a sidekick, building up a reputation and their experience.

**Hawks:  
**_Patrol as usual you?_

**Fortify:**_  
Helping out a cute little kohai for the morning, then, training. Pressures on now that you know I can keep up ;) x_

What the hell does the winky face mean? Is she flirting? Not the first time that he's been flirted with if that's the case, though she might just be being friendly.

Rubbing at the back of his neck, Keigo pockets his phone, leaping off the balcony, wings catching air. It's early morning, the sun having only just crawled up rest on the horizon. But crime never stops and all that. Still, he doesn't have many friends and Fortify had been amiable enough yesterday. He almost hopes they end up working together over something or another now; she can keep up with him, after all.

.

* * *

.

It's been nearly two months since he'd been introduced to Fortify, nearly three months since he met All Might himself. And now he's sitting with the former on a rusted-out car, the sparkling ocean stretching out before them with only a thin landing strip of sand between them and the waves. It's slow going, clearing this place out, or it had been at the start. He's getting quicker now, stronger. Moving the heavier things doesn't take so much out of him now. Still, they've stopped for a lunch break, Nana pulling out two packed lunches. He still hasn't worked out if she's making them herself or if All Might makes them (is he totally embarrassed by the thought that the Number One Hero is working with him? Yes, yes he is). But they're clearly homemade, so it has to be one option or the other.

"I've been thinking, Midoriya-kun," Nana starts, chewing thoughtfully on a slice of carrot once she's gathered his attention. Her hair is still up in the sensible ponytail she uses during her work-hours, though the hero costume is nowhere in sight. Gym clothes clad her muscled form, shorts shorter than Izuku bets All Might would like them to be. Izuku's not got much of an opinion on them in all honesty, though he suspects that would change if other people were around and eyeballing her. The thought makes him uncomfortable (it's strange but Nana's kinda what he imagines it's like to have an older sister which is stupid and ridiculous).

"About what, Nana-sempai?" Nana-san had been too formal, Nana on its own too weird and Nana-chan… yeah, he's not even gonna try and explain why that one hadn't fit. So that left him with sempai. Nana doesn't seem to mind in the slightest, had ruffled his hair when he first said it.

"You're going to be claiming your quirk's come in late. If you handle the power Dad gives you anything like I did… I'm not being very clear here, am I? Let me start again!" Slapping one closed fist into an open palm, Nana pulls her legs up onto the bonnet, folding them to make herself comfortable. "When I was really little, I first activated my quirk. It's called 'Genetic Stockpile'. I take the power from both my parents and accumulate it for myself. Kaa-chan's quirk was called 'Swing'; not much to it really; she could mess with the potential and kinetic energy when something swings."

"Is that why you have the wire bracelets?!" Izuku cannot help himself from asking, mind racing. It's far from an unusual quirk, though there's little application to hero work without specialist equipment.

"That's right; I've not really used them much though. And obviously, I got Dad's, well, everything else. What I want to focus on is that; you'll get that same kind of power when Dad says your body won't pop like an overinflated balloon. Like mine did. First time I activated my quirk, I broke my leg because it was too much for me to handle."

"B-broke your leg?" Izuku repeats, a cold sweat forming on his brow. He's not especially scared about the actual injury, only the implications. Breaking his bones every-time he uses a quirk is less than ideal. How can he be a hero if he's in hospital all the time? No, wait, Fortify doesn't break bones on the job, so clearly there's a way to resolve that issue.

"Yeah. Which is why, to make this believable, I've booked you in for an appointment with the most recent family doc. She's in the know on the situation and agrees that faking the injury now, a few months before the Entrance exam, is for the best. She's got a special cast set aside to be removable for when you need to train, but other than that, you'll have a broken arm, for all intents and purposes."

It… it makes sense. A new quirk this late in life, everyone would expect his control to be poor. Especially if he's getting an All Might level quirk. It makes sense and this way, his teachers won't question it, not if he's got a doctor's note and a recommendation not to use his quirk until he can have supervised training.

"O-okay. That sounds like a plan."

"Great! Let's get going then!"

"Wa- right now?!"

.

* * *

.

Having dropped one-pot-covered Izuku off with his mother (and tearful turned down her invitation to join them for dinner; Midoriya-san's food is delicious), Nana makes a quick stop at one of the local hero stations. There's a few of them dotted around each major city, places for heroes to go and grab an extra roll of capture tape if they've run out, that or get a temporary secondary costume if a battle's been particularly hard on them. That last one is avoided by most heroes though; they'd rather trudge home in a ripped-up costume than throw on the generic one-size-fits-all one-piece that the Hero Commission stocks these places with. Most importantly though, there's a changing booth there for heroes to swap out their civvies for their hero costume, should they have the latter on them. And Nana most certainly does have it on her.

She's not dared show up for Izuku's training with it because she's half certain he'll waste and hour of is precious time just fawning and decoding every little thing about it.

Though it would be really flattering considering the amount of effort and thought that went into designing her costume.

.

She catches the bullet train over to Minato, greets a few people in the carriage, takes a few pictures with them. Someone even asks her to hold their baby, to which she readily agrees. It's a cute little dumpling of a thing and Nana spends an unreasonably amount of time cooing over her. She's got a Mirko onesie on and it's the cutest thing she's ever seen.

Then, the train arrives and it's onto the day job.

.

Nana ducks, dropping to the ground as a slab of earth and pavement soars towards her; the second it's over head, she aims a punch upwards and shattering the projectile, blasting it the pieces up and away. The villain that's come crawling out of the woodwork has some kind of wave generating technique that he can use on his surroundings, lifting them up and sending them rocketing outwards, though he has no control given that it seems to emit from him in every direction. The majority of the wave slams into the surrounding buildings, the structures wobbling and Nana grits her teeth. She cannot allow this man to get another blast of that quirk off, otherwise the whole building will be coming down.

Darting forwards, Nana powers up and off the ground, knee slamming into the tender meat of the villain's shoulder and sending him crashing to the floor. She's on him in a second, wrapping his hands and feet in capture tape before hoisting him up over one shoulder. Her guess his right given the lack of earth flying at her head; he needs contact with the ground to raise his projectiles. That's 'round about the time that one of the buildings that the villain's quirk slammed into begins to wobble.

"Shit," Nana hisses, attaching the capture tape to her prisoner before she throws him towards the nearest lamppost. He flies over the top and Nana pulls hard on the tape that's still connected to him, swinging the bastard back towards her, until he's hanging from the metal structure in a temporary hold.

Then, she's off, leaning up towards the highest window of the building. Luckily, the office (computers and desks, people in suits all looking startled despite the fact every workplace has evacuation training now) is open plan. It's easy enough to snatch up the three people that're on that floor. It's one of those times she finds herself wishing once again for Dad's wider build; two people over one shoulder and one tucked under her other arm is less than idea but Nana works with what she's got.

.

She manages to get all eleven workers out before the building goes down. Standing on the street, the criminal still hanging from the lamppost like one of those ridiculous toys cats paw at, Nana runs a hand through her dusty bangs, the other resting on her hip.

"Sorry I didn't get to him before he hit the building," she says, looking to the most coherent of the workers. Most are just patting themselves down, as if checking their okay. Two others are on the phone, to the police or their family, Nana's not sure. They're alright though, no one seems in need of counselling or comforting. She still takes the time to check on them all individually to reassert this opinion.

Once she's certified that everyone's okay and there's a police office on the scene, Nana makes her way over to her captured criminal. He's silent, scowling furiously and Nana easily rips the capture tape he's attached to the lamppost with apart. The criminal goes up and over one shoulder before she bends at the knees. It'd taken her years of practice, but an All Might sized leap is the quickest way to get around. One moment they're on the street, the next, they're soaring through the air. As they reach the apex of the jump (criminal screaming all the while), Nana feels her bangs lift as their descent begins. They're a few blocks away now and she's quick to spot the nearest police station. One more leap and they'll be there.

She sticks the landing, skidding along the pavement after a quick hop to break the potential impact on her legs, startled civilians freezing at their sudden appearances. She's quick to launch herself back into the jump. She needs to drop this guy off quick; after all, she's got another seven hours on shift after this.

.

* * *

.

_Mirai Sasaki stares. He's been All Might's sidekick for three years now, has accumulated all the merchandise a superfan could possibly own. He knows everything about the world's greatest hero._

_He knows exactly who Gran Torino is in relation to All Might; his teacher when at UA, his mentor for a while. He knows that All Might interned with one Shimura Nana, though the hero had clammed up and not spoken to him for two weeks when he'd mentioned that one. A sore subject for sure. _

_Yes, Mirai can say with complete confidence that he knows everything about the hero; even the technicalities of his incredibly quirk, information that he'd been entrusted with just three weeks prior. _

_Walking into the pro's office to see a child sitting in All Might's chair had not been how he was expecting his day to go. _

_He's not seen her around Might Tower before; he's met the child/younger sibling of every resident, who try to find any excuse to bring them along in hopes of seeing All Might. She's in a school uniform, though they have no visits planned this week, let along this month. Bright blue eyes turn to peer at him, bracketed by thick pink-brown bangs. The nose scrunches up and Mirai rather thinks that he returns the sentiment as he steps into the room. _

_"How did you get up here?"_

_"I have a standing invitation," the girl replies, her voice still twinged with that childish quality. Twelve at most then. _

_"That's not-" He doesn't get to finish. All Might appears before that and proceeds to blow the idea of knowing everything about him out the water. _

_"Nana-tan!" _

* * *

**Aye-oh! New chappy!**

**Tsume  
****xxx**


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**Hawks:**  
_Nice save last week btw  
__I'd still beat you in a flat out race though_

**Nana:**  
_Name a time and place, Bird Boy x_

**Hawks:**  
_I've got Thurs Fri off take your pick_

**Nana:**

_Friday it is then. Loser buys the other dinner x_

* * *

"Mirai!"

The door to Sir's office bounces open and Mirio jumps in surprised, swinging around to find the source of the disturbance. There's a woman striding through the door, a bag of takeout in one hand, the other running through her bangs.

"I've got a problem! Where's Kaoruko-chan at, I need a woman's opinion!"

Sir groans, one hand coming up to rub at the expanse of his forehead. Nonetheless, he looks upon the woman with fond eyes; a friend then. From her build and confident stride, Mirio would even declare her an associate by profession; she has the build of a hero and a familiar face. It'll come to him in a moment, that's for sure.

"Nana. This is a place of work, please refrain from barging in with such vigour."

The woman, this Nana blinks, wide eyes a shade of blue so bright that they almost burn with vibrance. It takes Mirio another second, but then he places her. She's Fortify, one of the new heroes! Nejire had mentioned her; a graduate of UA who's become an independent hero in her own right with a strong quirk.

Mirio's eyes find Sir's posters, a little smile slipping across his face. A quirk on the same power level as All Might himself, if his friend is to be believed.

"Is that Nana-chan I hear?!" Bubblegirl's voice bounces down the corridors and, just like that, their visitor is off, disappearing into the halls of Sir's hero office without so much as a 'by-your-leave'.

.

He doesn't see the woman again on that particular day but, when passing by the break room after Sir has sent him out for some papers, he does hear them.

"-can't believe you got his number-"

"We're both heroes, why is that-"

"And you keep texting each other! And look at you, with your flirty wink!"

"Flirt- Kaoruko-chan! He doesn't even punctuate in his texts!"

Huh. A woman's opinion indeed. Mirio hides an amused smile behind his hand. He wonders how Nejire is getting on at her own placement.

* * *

_Plucking herself up out of the dirt, Nana scrapes her bangs back from her face and looks back towards Kan-sensei. He's frowning at the board as it flashes until it finally comes up with her score. 0.98 seconds to cover a hundred metre dash. True, she'd had a running start, but they'd wanted to find out just how quickly she could move. And, by lord, was that quick. _

_Pushing herself up out of the 'crash zone', Nana brushed her gym clothes down, punching the air. Because, fuck yeah! Under a second to cover a hundred metre dash? That's fucking fast. Oh, she's been working for it; she's worked her ass off to get that fast. But, the burn in her legs and glutes, the careful dieting to improve her physical conditioning (so much meat and vegetables and fruit and so very little chocolate) was totally worth it. _

_"Under a second!" she hollers, high-fiving the first of her classmates to offer up their hand. Like, holy fuck. In the memories before, hundred metre dashes had taken just under ten seconds at best. But this isn't the world of her memories, it isn't a normal place. And here? She's snap-shot quick. _

_"Time is looking good there, Yagi. I'm expecting another win at the Sports Festival."_

_"So am I!" Slamming one closed fist down into her open palm, Nana rocks back on her heels, hands clasped before her. "And I'll only keep getting faster! Stronger! Better! I'll be the best hero I can be!"_

.

"What'll it be then?" Nana asks, running a hand through her sweat bangs, stretching up after she's peeled the strands of hair off her sure to be shiny face. Their race had been tight and she's relatively sure Hawks only won because the wind was literally in his favour. None the less, a deal is a deal; she's going to be buying the other hero his dinner, like it or lump it.

Adjusting her cape until it falls down her back and not over her shoulders from a sudden stop, she turns to look at the other, waiting. Hair just as windswept as her own (only he can get away with it unlike her, it looks natural on him, hell, it looks _good_ on him), Hawks stuffs one hand in his pocket as the other scratches lazily at his chin. The gloved fingers work back and forth across the wispy stubble there, crimson wings twitching unit they're half curled around his body. Are the bones there hollow? They must be, otherwise he'd probably have a noticeably muscular back to account for the weight. With that heavy aviator jacket, she can't see much of his muscle tone, but she can take a guess based on his bulk. Toned, but not overly muscular.

"Chicken nuggets. And fries."

Her lips quirk up. "Would you like a coke to go with that?"

Hawks cocks his head back, grinning at her as he adjusts the rest of his visor. Despite it being a 'day-off', they're both in full hero get up, just in case. Better not to ruin civvy clothes if they're going to be so blatantly using their powers. Or, that's what Nana had been thinking anyway. She assumes Hawks was on the same line of thought.

"I'll take that. No ice though; it rattles my teeth."

Nana snorts.

.

They make for the nearest fast food restaurant hesitantly, given that neither of them really knows the place; they'd had their race on the outskirts of Kochi, meeting in the middle, what with Hawks working so far away from Tokyo. Though it'd have taken her four and a bit hours by bullet train to get to Kyushu, there hadn't been much of a reason to stick around after that; that particular area of Japan doesn't need any more hero help, not with Hawks on the job. Instead, she'd let the locals of Kochi know she'll be doing a few hero-shifts there while she's in the neighbourhood.

"Ah, a McDonalds!" Hawks' wings flap, the gust of wind they generate snapping her cape back and out and Nana finds herself smiling. Huh.

"Come on then, let's eat!" Bouncing forwards, she pushes open the door, waving to the handful of people inside who gawk at her costume. They stare even more when Hawks follows in after her, some whipping out phones and cameras. Number Three Hero; instantly recognisable. Especially with those wings. He hasn't a chance of going incognito. Poor guy.

"Chicken nuggets and fries; hey, how many of each do you want?" It's not even an offensive question in this world; you don't judge people by what they eat here. You didn't know if their quirk required, they eat nothing but doughnuts all day, just like you didn't know if people avoided vegetables because they'd set off an adverse reaction. In some respects, this world is more socially aware than the one before; it's nice.

"A twelve box and extra-large fries." Hawks' answer comes almost absentmindedly; he's gesturing for the kids to come over and they need not further indication than that, racing forwards on their stubby little legs as their parents scramble after them. Soon enough, her fellow hero has his hands full of three different tykes, answering their questions and posing for photos. He's terribly social for a bird.

.

Nana places their order, accepts the receipt with their order number on it before making her way back over. One mother is quietly scolding her child who appears to have a metal body, reminding her that she's heavier than a normal person and she shouldn't expect to be picked up like the other children. Nana tucks the receipt into one of Hawks' many pockets, turning to the duo.

"May I?"

The little girl is, admittedly, quite heavy. But Nana has all of her father's strength so hoisting her up is not issue. The look of utter wonder on her face is great; Nana basks in it.

"Mr Hawks? Why are you here?"

"Hmmm? Me and Fortify were having a race. A few weeks back, she beat me to a rescue, so we wanted to see who is actually faster." All of the children 'ooh' and 'ahh', including the kid that's in Nana's arms. The little girl can't be more than three, what with her size, general round features and thumb-sucking.

"Who won?"

"Me. But, only just. Who knows, between the two of us, we might get a world where heroes have time to kill!"

.

They're sitting on the roof of a nearby building, orders in their laps and feet dangling over the edge. It's strange; all the way through Middle School, she'd been told off for eating her lunch on the roof. In UA, it'd almost been actively encouraged. If you're on duty, you can see what's going down there while having your lunch; it's good practice. That, and it would swiftly dispel any fears of heights through constant exposure.

"Did you mean that?" Nana asks, plucking up a fry and dipping it in the sauce. It's cheat day, she'll eat as much sauce and salted fries and maybe eve ice-cream as she wants. A heroic lifestyle requires a careful diet, built for a working physique; Dad had helped her devise her early plans but now, she can make them on her own.

"Mean what?"

"That bit about heroes having time to kill." It seems like such a far-fetched idea. There's a reason why you never seen heroes with a side-job (unless it's teaching or something else they're passionate about). In their world, a hero's job is never done. There's always someone new the save, always some other villain to take down, always some kind of catastrophe that needs solving.

"I wanna enjoy myself," Hawks finally states, popping his second to last chicken nugget into his mouth, chewing thoughtfully as he leans back on his gloved hands. The box of near-demolished takeout jostles on his lap but doesn't plunge over the edge. Even if it did, he'd probably catch it before it hit the ground. When he spies her quizzical face, he laughs, continuing. "Serious. Do some patrolling where no trouble shows up. Get to meet a few people, make a few appearances where lives aren't at risk and then go get a good night's sleep!"

"Are you not getting enough sleep, Hawks?" She looks at his eyes but, given the visor, it'd difficult to tell if the dark smudges beneath his eyes are a hint of exhaustion or the shade the visor throws across his features. She wouldn't say that he acts tired, but neither is he full of abundant energy like her.

"Nah, nothing like that. There's just, always stuff to get done and I'm quick enough to do it."

"Sounds like insomnia to me."

He laughs again, quieter this time and muffled around the final chicken nugget.

"I get where you're coming from. People will always need saving; disasters will always happen. But, villains? We're just dealing with the symptoms there, not the cause. A hero's job is important, but the people who fix the fundamental cracks in society that our people fall into and emerge villains? I think they're just as important as well."

* * *

"A date?"

Keigo grimaces, forefinger and thumb pinching at the corner of his lips in order to draw more attention to the expression.

The President of the Commission doesn't even look up at him, still peering down at the photos that've made their way to her desk. He's not surprised by it; both he and Fortify were out in public in costume, though they bought dinner and ate it together. He's seen the images himself blasting across social media. While most photos that day were taken inside of the McDonalds with the children who'd swarmed him, it's not the one making the rounds online. Instead, it's some candid shot of them both on the roof; his head is tipped back mid-laugh, Fortify's looking baffled. Her body language is open though, shoulders loose and torso twisted towards him. Like normal people would orienteer themselves in a conversation. The gossip tabloids will make of it what they will.

"Wasn't a date. We raced, I won, she lost, loser buys dinner."

The President hums, placing one of the pictures down to tap at the rooftop scene.

"It wasn't a date this time," she muses, as if Keigo has even entertained the idea. He doesn't date. Can't. It's one of the things the Hero Commission had made clear. They take him in, help him train, he becomes the best hero he can be in return. He doesn't have time for dating.

"We're both heroes who are fast; there's no harm in being aware of each other."

"There's no harm in spending time together too."

What.

Holy shit, that wasn't a sarcastic response. Something's up.

Alarm bells ringing in his head, Keigo straightens up, assessing the President as she plucks up a pen and scribbles down a quick note. He doesn't allow the discomfort of the situation to show on his face, in his body. But he is very much paying attention right now.

Because that almost, almost sounded like a hint. A hint that it would be in his best interest, in the Commission's best interest, if he were to spend more time with Fortify.

"Spending time together," Keigo repeats slowly, half-expecting some bootlicker to pop out the walls and inform him he's been messing with his auditory senses. But no, his feathers have 'heard' the very same thing based on the vibrations they have sensed.

"Yagi-chan is a capable young woman. It would not reflect poorly on you to spend some time with a hero who can keep up with your, ah, how do you put it? 'Trademark top speed'?"

Right. The President not only knows of Fortify, but knows of her by name. If he weren't suspicious before, he certainly is now. He needs to do some research; as far as he was aware, she'd just been starting up her solo career. Not even the media recognise her yet (though, in truth, that will have been skewered by his own presence at the school that day). That the President knows her by name, can put the name to a face right away means there's some connection here.

"I suppose another race wouldn't hurt," Keigo murmurs, one hand in his pocket, forefinger tracing the edge of his phone.

"And Hawks? Be a gentleman and pay for the meal this time."

Keigo agrees with a charming smile, jokingly enquiring if he can put it on the Commission's tab. The President offers him that same banal smile as he leaves (a 'no' then). He makes sure to nod to the workers he passes by on his walk to the nearest balcony, mind brewing behind the polite façade. So, not only does the Hero Commission want him to spend more time with Fortify, they want to make it seem like they're dating to the media (why else would the President ask he pay for the meal next time).Which means, for whatever reason, the Commission is either a) interested in Fortify or b) aiming for connections with Fortify. To the point they're willing to throw their golden boy Hawks at her.

Right, so, the question is, what is Keigo associating himself with here? The Commission wouldn't put him in a situation that could ruin his reputation, so known connections with a villain is out. That leaves him drawing up a bit of a blank. He's missing something here and, barring the research he'll be doing the moment he's off shift, there's only one way to find out.

.

**Hawks:**  
_Best 2 outta 3 on that race?  
__I'll get dinner this time tho_

* * *

**So, after the latest chapter, Hawks has certified himself as my fav (sorry not sorry)**

**Tsume  
****xxx**


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"Who are you texting?"

Nana-senpai snaps her head up, blinking wide blue eyes. She's got All Might's eyes, the same searing shade, and Izuku freezes in place at the sudden attention zeroing in on him. She's been frowning over her phone for the past hour or so, between showing him the correct exercises, fixing his posture, and working through some grappling moves with him. All Nana-senpai has done is help him these past few weeks and Izuku wishes he could return the favour somehow. But the only thing of significance he's got to give are his All Might merchandise and, being who she is, Izuku doesn't doubt that Nana-senpai will already have it all. If she even wanted it in the first place, what with having the real thing for a father.

Then it registers what he said.

"I-I mean! I don't need to know! Sorry, that was really rude of me! Pleasedon'twalkaway!"

Nana-senpai laughs, head thrown back and shoulders shaking with the force of it. She sits herself down on the overturned fridge he's yet to move, happily patting the surface beside her in an open invitation. Given that she doesn't crunch the metal on contract, he assumes she's not upset. Hopes she's not upset.

Slowly, Izuku joins her on the fridge.

"It's fine, Curly-top," Nana declares, one hand coming down on his head and ruffling for all she's worth. Izuku bears it with the patience of the long suffering; she's taken to doing this in the past month or so and, despite the mess it makes of his hair… it's nice. "And in answer to your question, it's Hawks."

"Hawks?! Like, the Winged Hero; Hawks?! He holds the record for the youngest Pro Hero, as well as the fastest for a Pro Hero to become one of the top 10 Pro Heroes on the Hero Billboard Chart JP! His quirk-" Izuku cuts himself off, slamming both hands over his mouth as Nana-senpai starts laughing again, feeling his cheeks flush with heat. Damn his rambling mouth. He'd had no idea Nana-senpai knew Hawks, though he probably shouldn't be surprised. She's a hero herself, All Might is her dad; heroes probably mix in the same social circles… right? He doesn't know, the closest he's come to heroes are during his observations of their fights and rescues and that's not exactly a time where he's been able to ask how heroes interact with each other outside of working together.

"We had a race last month," Nana-senpai supplies, smiling, "and he beat me. Just by a little bit. We've been trying to meet up for another one for at least three weeks, but our schedules haven't allowed for it yet. He's just messaging to say he's coming to Tokyo for a string of interviews and to pull a few hero-shifts here, so he's going to drop by." Hawks is coming to Tokyo! Probably not to Musutafu, but it's still closer than he's ever been before.

"You know, they're installing one of the new bullet trains to Fukuoka just because that's where he's based! As the Number Three Hero, he's drawn a great deal of attention to the city, so they're cutting the travel time in half to maximise potential visitors!"

"Really? I didn't know that," Nana-senpai laughs, running one hand through her hair as she eyes the strip of road that runs parallel to the beach. It's rarely used, what with this place being such a dump. Well, it's less of a dump now; Izuku's putting in his best effort to see to that, and he's getting quicker at it. Sure, his arms still feel like overcooked noodles at the end of the day, but that's fine. He can get on with it.

Then, he makes the connection between Nana-senpai eyeing the road and what she was saying earlier.

"Are you gonna have your race here?!" he all but yelps, head whipping back and forth which is stupid. Hawks isn't just gonna turn up out of the blue.

"Well, I was considering it. I'm gonna get a snapshot and see what he thinks. I'll let you know if he gives the thumbs up and what time… if you want to see me beat the bird, that is?"

If he wants to-

"Of course, I want to watch!" Izuku screams, flushing even more at he his leap in volume, the panicked way he'd spoken. Why would he not want to watch Nana-senpai (probably in Fortify gear) and the Number Three Hero Hawks race each other? It's probably a once in a lifetime opportunity and he'll skip school to miss it. Mum would understand… probably. She's just happy he's 'healthy' now. His arm (the one that'd been in the fake-cast) itches something fierce still, even though it's been officially off for three days now. Most of the other kids at school have left him alone now that it's been claimed he has a quirk, a late-bloomer. It's… it's only Kacchan who hasn't stopped.

"Great! I'll check with Hawks first, but I'm sure he won't mind. Now, come on. Let's get this next portion of beach cleaned up."

.

Nana-senpai walks him home, as normal. She's in her civilian clothes, a bright white tee-shirt with a red circle printed perfectly in the middle, the hem tucked into the skinny jeans. They've both got red shoes on, though Izuku's are a little more worn. It's fine, he'll get some new ones for his birthday; it's one of the key presents he gets every year and he'll only have to wait one more month. Though, speaking of birthdays, should he get Nana-senpai something for hers? It's probably appropriate to do so; she's training with him after all, even though he's mainly All Might's student.

They stop for slushes on the way back, despite the dropping temperature. Red Rocket for him and Blue Blast for Nana-senpai. The artificial colours dye their tongues and then Nana-senpai insists on taking a photo to send All Might. Embarrassing and Izuku really doesn't feel worthy enough to be included in a photo being sent to the Number One Hero, but Nana-senpai's his daughter. So, he presses himself into her side ever so slightly, one of Nana-senpai's arms over his shoulder as the other stretches the phone out before them.

"Three, two, one!" Tongues out, photo taken. Nana-senpai turns the screen around for him to have a look at the image. They're both grinning, bright tongues a vivid red and blue. There're two fingers held up behind his head, bunny ears.

It's stupid and shouldn't make his eyes water, but it's the first time he's had someone willing to take such a fun picture with him.

"Right, I gotta run, my cute little Kohai. Take care until I can catch up with you again." One final hair-ruffle and then Nana-senpai strolls into the middle of the street, checking her surroundings are clear. Then, she's off, a huge jump into the sky that's remarkably All Might-like. Though it's a secret, Izuku doesn't doubt for one moment that people will start connecting the dots between his favourite hero and his second favourite.

The buzz of his phone comes a moment later. She's sent him a copy of the picture too.

* * *

**Hawks:**  
Looks good. And it's usually deserted?

**Nana:**  
Yep; the beach right by it is full of trash. Though my cute little Kohai is working to clear that up! I'm so proud of him! (￣^￣) x

**Hawks:**  
Hahaha what is that face!

**Nana:**  
I'm a proud senpai. You'll understand when you get your own kohai one day x

"Will I?"

The sudden voice has Nana jolting, near tripping and certainly spilling a good half of her hot chocolate across the ground. She stares after it mournfully, pout on her face. She's in full costume, on break and draining a hot drink in hopes it'll warm up her innards. She hadn't really been expecting Hawks to suddenly drop from the sky, though it seems that's a feeling shared by the vast majority around her; it's not just hot chocolate on the ground.

In a soft-brown leather jacket, Hawks lifts his visor up with one hand as the other goes digging through his pockets, emerging with a black card.

"Can I get another hot chocolate for the hero? And an iced mango?" He smiles, all golden charm and boyish good looks; the teenaged barista never stood a chance. Nana's eyebrows climb up as the girl swiftly gets on with the request; it's a good thing Hawks is so famous, otherwise there'd probably be a few people quite unhappy about his sudden queue jumping.

One feather curls around her half empty cup, carrying it to the bin, as another slides his card across the reader. Nana remains by the curb as her drink is brought to her, Hawks offering the still very startled people a wave before turning to her, ignoring the phones that are now beginning to flash in his direction.

"I thought ice rattled your teeth?"

"Slush is different," Hawks counters, lips wrapping around the paper straw to begin draining his beverage. Nana doesn't miss that the girl behind the counter has ensured he has a red straw; got to stay true the aesthetic and all. He draws his mouth off with a pop, wings curving in a little more, red feathers catching the mid-morning sunshine and glowing with it. "Plus, I'm a bit lost. Looking for Shibuya Hikarie, but…"

"But Tokyo's a sprawling mass of buildings that all look the same from up high?" Nana guesses, taking a sip of her drink and sighing in contentment. They've started walking now, falling into step with one another. Though she's the one in costume, it's Hawks draws the eye. How can he not, with those great big wings? She bets he gets no peace whenever it's his day off. "Well, lucky for you, I've grown up in Tokyo and been to Shibuya Hikarie before."

"You are on duty and I am technically a member of the public in need of help," Hawks drawls, reattaching himself to his straw a moment later. The levels of mango slush recede impressively quickly, his cheeks hollowing with the effort and Nana honestly cannot tell if he prefers to eat this way, or if it's something he's picked up to keep his 'trademark top speed'.

"Come on then, I'll show you the way." Nana bounces forwards, taking a hard left. Hawks quickens his pace to follow her.

.

She leaves the Number Three Hero by the entrance to the large complex he was due at, waving him off with a promise to see him in two days for their race. The bugger had joked she should probably spend the time between now and then training. However, she'd not left without extracting a quick autograph from him. It's on the back of a napkin that came with her hot chocolate, but she knows Izuku will appreciate it all the same.

Taking a running leap for the nearest building, Nana sticks the landing and then peers out across the streets. The people bustle on the pavement, cars making their way along the roads, the strategically planted trees swaying in the breeze. It's a perfect summer's day, if slightly cool.

Stretching her arms out, shoulders rolling, Nana allows the grin to spread across her face. There'll be one villain stupid enough to make a move today; the visibility is too good for them to pass up.

.

Seven hours later, Nana finds herself sprawled out on Dad's couch, two boxes of take-out on the coffee table (even if most of Dad's stuff is liquid based; with quirks, most dietary requirements are now met in every food stall). He appears in costume, though back to what has steadily become his regular self; tall, sharp angles, too thin. The sight still makes her heart tight, even if it's nothing compared to how she felt looking at him back when the incident happened. It'd been touch and go for far too long; she very aggressively pushes down the memory that she'd sat by his bedside for days, a hair between her fingers and weighed down with a promise of what to do if he were going to kick the bucket. Thankfully, he'd pulled through. Eating a hair would have sucked.

"Nana-tan?"

"Hi, Dad! I finished up with enough time to grab dinner! If you don't mind me stopping by?"

"You're always welcome here, Nana-tan. You know that." He takes a seat beside her once she's sat up, reaching for the takeout box closest to him. Good choice; that's the one with his order in.

They eat in relative silence, peaceful in a way that they've not experienced today, what with both of them on the job. Nana's stopped a villain today and saved a few lives from a house fire. She knows Dad has taken out three villains today; it'd been all over the hero channel that he had everything in hand and they didn't need to race to central Tokyo.

Without thought, her eyes find The Wall, scanning for any new additions. Long ago, it'd been filled with her childhood drawings, right up until she hit eleven and the whole thing had been covered. Ever since then, they'd been taking down less important ones to put more up. Not so much drawings any more, but pictures, articles, certificates. Her acceptance into UA is up there, her first official ID card as Gang Orca's intern had gone up when she didn't need it anymore. Her sidekick one had bene placed beside it when she opened her own office. Most recently, there's the picture of herself and Izuku from this morning. They're cute; her little kohai is adorable and Nana herself isn't too bad looking either, if she may say so herself. Dad must have put it up before he set off for work today.

"Are you happy, Nana-tan?"

Startling at the question, Nana swings around to look at her dad, sucking in the last of her noodles. She swallows, wiping the excess sauce off on the back of her sleeve; the suit will be going in the wash when she gets back to her apartment anyway.

"Am I happy?" She's working a job she loves, helping people, exercising right, eating well. Her Dad is as fit and healthy as he can be, she's got a cute little Kohai and has even made a new friend. "Yeah, I'm happy."

* * *

_"Nana-tan?"_

_His darling daughter huffs, arms folded across her tiny chest, one hand clutching the work she's been given back by her teacher. It's the first on that has come back home for her to work further on, though he's not quite sure why, hasn't been able to get a good look at it yet._

_"'M fine! I can do it… just don't know why Matsuri-sensei didn't like my answer."_

_Toshinori hums, scooping up his little girl and running his fingers up her ribs until she starts laughing._

_"I'm sure you'll ace this assignment, Nana-tan, as you have every other one!" Her brain must come from Selene, he certainly didn't do so well with his schoolwork without a tremendous amount of effort!_

.

_Hours later, once she's managed to fall asleep, he wiggles the assignment out from her schoolbag, unfolding it. It'd been about dreams for the future, probably looking at what jobs they wanted to have. _

_And Nana's answer to what she wanted to be in the future? 'Happy'._

* * *

**So, what are you all up to during lockdown to pass the time?**

**Tsume  
****xxx**


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

**Senpai:**  
The Bird says he doesn't mind if you tag along. Bring three paper plates if you can? I've got cake ｡^‿^｡ x

.

He'd been reading over the nerd's shoulder, curious despite himself. Ever since he'd turned up with a pot on and a ludicrous claim that he was a late bloomer (he wasn't the latest bloomer was seven, not fucking fourteen, Katsuki fucking checked), something'd been off. No, even in the weeks before the pot. He's not missed how the nerd's shoulders have bene filling out, how his arms are becoming more toned. He hasn't missed how the other holds himself gingerly. He recognises it, of course he does. It's exactly how Katsuki feels after a good workout, one where he's pushed himself and made fucking progress (no matter how the Hag howls that the basement isn't his personal gym).

Which is why he's here; he wants to know who the fuck is Deku calling 'senpai' and he wants to know who 'The Bird' is. He wants to know what the nerd is 'tagging along' for.

He wants fucking answers for the mystery quirk that has shown up. Katsuki is half expecting to find out the broken arm had been a fake, that there's no quirk and it's just Deku claiming he has one to get them to lay off. It's worked with everyone else, but Katsuki is smarter than that. The nerd always looks to the left after he's told a lie. And looked left he had.

So yeah, Katsuki's gonna find out why Deku is shovelling a pile of bullshit.

.

Following the nerd isn't hard; his spiritual awareness sucks balls and he never once checks over his shoulder. In fact, he's too busy with his phone, furiously typing away and mumbling. Katsuki assumes he's got the notes open; there's not a long enough pause for him to be responding to a text. Unlike the nerd, Katsuki's well aware of his surroundings, though he'd love to know why they're heading for the Dump Beach. The Hag once said the place used to be clean, the kinda place families made of sugar and shit would visit. Katsuki sure as hell has never seen it like that.

He doesn't follow the nerd around the final corner, instead peaking out slowly. It's a good call; there's a woman sitting on one of the benches there, a Tupperware container resting on her lap and a big grin on her face once she spots the nerd. He's too far away to hear what's said between them, but he doesn't give a fuck. What's more important is that the woman's in a hero's uniform.

It takes three google searches before he finds her identify (pink haired heroes, red and blue costume, then pink haired female heroes with blue costume). He'd love to know how the fuck the nerd knows this 'Fortify'. A new hero, but she's been making waves in the news for how efficiently she handles things and for her quirk. Genetic Stockpile' apparently gives her the power of both her parents. What's fucking interesting is just how strong, how quick, she seems to be. It implies hero ancestry. But there's no connections on the registry. A mystery.

Though, a bigger fucking mystery is how the fuck Deku knows her!

"Little bit weird to be spying on people?"

Katsuki leaps out of his skin, spinning around and ready to fucking rip into the speaking. Only to freeze in his tracks. They're the same height, but Hawks (fucking Hawks!) still manages to appear taller than him. It's probably the fuck off, suspiciously sharp red wings that're fanning out at his back. Katsuki's not intimidated by them, he's not. Especially not with that bored as fuck expression the hero's got on his face.

"Or stalking," the other continues, placing one hand under his chin, forefinger and thumb extending in a thinker's pose. "Could be one or the other. Let's find out."

Let's wha-

* * *

Though she'd seen him flying in, Hawks had chosen to land on the next street over, maybe to avoid drawing attention. Though how he plans to do that with those wings, Nana's not sure. Nor does she really care; she's got the remains of Dad's birthday cake neatly cut into three pieces and Izuku's helping her load them up onto a plate. He's practically vibrating as she finished off explaining how she's always baked Dad the same cake for his birthday, ever since she turned eight and was trusted to use the stove without burning down the apartment.

"-course, he can't woof it all done in one go now, so that's why we've got leftovers," Nana finishes, dropping the final wedge of cake onto the last plate, grinning all the while. She politely ignores Izuku's mutter of 'I'm eating the same birthday cake as All Might'. Let him have his fanboy moment, pray he gets it out his system before-

"Fortify? Do you recognise this feral gremlin?" Before Hawks shows up.

The other hero has appeared from around a corner, a teenager that could probably be in Izuku's year held aloft by a pair of long red feathers. There's another swiftly wrapping its supple self around the other's mouth. Given the single swear she'd heard slip from his mouth, that's probably for the best.

The condemning "Kacchan" that comes from Izuku makes it blatantly obvious why the kid's here.

Getting to her feet, Nana places the plate alongside the other two, bemoaning the easy meet and greet this was supposed to be between Hawks and her cute little Kohai. Now there's this boy?

"Do you know him, Curly-top?"

"I- Yeah. Kacchan and I used to be friends when we were kids." Izuku looks away. To the left. He's lying. She might not have known him particularly long, but it's been long enough to pull up these little tells. He's not telling her something. Which, fair enough, he doesn't have to. But she does hope it's nothing that'll end with him getting hurt. As a hero, it'll be her job to step in and poke her nose into his business if that happens.

"Cool. Hawks, do you mind if he sticks around too?"

The other hero hums, one hand scratching lazily at his cheek, the other in his pocket, a stance she's coming to recognise is quite customary for him. It's kind of his go-to pose, it would seem. Then, he laughs, covering the last few metres between them with two graceful flaps of his wings, the captive teenager floating along after him, even as he struggles like hell to get out of Hawks' grip. Hawks' feather's grip? Eh, to-may-to, to-ma-to.

"Nah, I don't care. Hey, is that cake?" One feather, probably about the size of her hand, detached itself to scoop up a plate, the one with the biggest slab on it. Though she'd already sectioned that particular slice off for the hero, it's a little irritating that he's helped himself to it without checking if it's okay.

Nana pushes it down though, throwing her arm over Izuku's trembling shoulders.

"Good to see those impulse controls, Hawks. Anyway, this is Midoriya Izuku, my cute little kohai. A specialist put us in contact with each other because he breaks his bones when using his quirk, just like I used to."

"Sounds dangerous," Hawks mutters around a mouthful of cake, swallowing and then rubbing at the back of his head. "Sorry about helping myself, I've just got no self-control when I see something I want and, man, this cake is good. Nice to meet you, Midoriya. Nana's mentioned you a few times. What was it?" He pauses, head cocking to the side in a mock thinker pose.

Behind him, this 'Kacchan' struggles more violently in Hawks' hold, his hands starting to spark. Huh. That's an interesting quirk.

"Ah! Here it is!" And oh god, he's got his phone out. Not that Nana's embarrassed by anything she's said about Izuku. She adores his cute little face; it's more likely he'll be flustered by her words. "'My cute little Kohai is working to clear that up! I'm so proud of him!' And look at the little face she tagged on the end!" Hawks twists his phone around so Izuku can get a good look at it, a feather cutting off another piece of cake and shovelling it between his lips.

That's 'round about the time the little gremlin Hawks had caught spying on them blasts (literally blasts) the feather from his face.

"WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK, DEKU! WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS!"

"Wow," Nana breathes, impressed by the sheer volume and guts the kid has. She'd never have dared swear so loudly out in the open like that at his age. Kacchan doesn't seem to give a flying fuck though, shaking his fists violently towards Izuku. Hang on a second, what did he just call-

Nana grabs a handful of the kid's shirt, hoisting him up an extra inch. Now, he hangs from her grip instead of Hawks', feet nowhere near close to touching the floor.

"What did you just call my cute little Kohai?"

"Nana-senpai! No!"

.

Begrudgingly, Nana puts the little bastard down. Izuku's insistent that it's an insider joke but she can tell its not. She doesn't like that brat. He does, however, quieten down (just a smidge) when Izuku explains he's here to see Nana race with Hawks and that they were indeed introduced because of Nana's quirk being similar to his own. Even if Izuku technically doesn't have One for All yet, Dad's already declared his intentions to pass it on, so it's particularly his anyway. Not a lie.

Throughout the entire show and dance, Hawks just stands back, watching with an amused grin on his face, one feather inching towards a second piece of cake. Nana hands it over to him. She had four slices yesterday on Dad's actual birthday, letting go of one piece won't hurt. He takes the cake, blowing her a lazy kiss. Just to fuck with him, Nana makes a big show of catching it, pressing it close to her chest.

She feels quite accomplished that The Bird almost chokes on his first mouthful.

"So, are things settled here?" Nana pipes up, turning back to her cute little kohai and his gremlin associate. She does not like this Kacchan boy. "You stick around, you watch two pros in action, then you go back to whatever you're supposed to be doing. Which, for the record, isn't following Izuku."

He's going to fight her demand. She can see it in his eyes. The tenancy is great; he'd probably make a good hero. You know, if he fixed that shitty attitude.

"Tch. Deku's getting training from a Pro. I want in."

"Tough shit," Nana snaps right back, folding her arms and peering down at him. Unlike Hawks', she kept growing after middle school and can look down her nose at the brat. "Find some other hero to endear yourself to."

She doesn't give him the option of fighting, instead turning back to Hawks. He's long since finished off his cake, stretching his wings out, rotating them in a flash of crimson waves, cresting through the air.

"Ready to lose again?"

"No way, I'm going to earn my dinner today."

From there, it's on. Hawks sends a feather down the road to rest by the rusted out car (the binmen will be along to clear that away tomorrow; it's a good thing they're doing this today) to sense who wins. Nana allows stockpile to flood her limbs with that same heady power her father holds, muscles clenched and ready. Beside her, Hawks is just the same, wings upright and ready for that first take off. He's even set his phone to count them in.

Three. A gust of wind sends the sand sweeping across the road.

Two. Hawks exhales, the sound thunderously loud between the two of them.

One. Nana inhales, sharp and swift.

Then, they're off.

She skids to a halt at the end of the road, feeling the soles of her suit protest. But this is Shield tech. David had masterminded her father's suit; she's relatively sure the bottom of her feet won't be exposed due to wear and tear.

"We drew. Unbelievable." Hawks grunts beside her, eyeing the feather in his hand as if it could have possibly lied to him. "Heh, I knew you were fast when you beat me to the rescue that day, but this is great." And suddenly, the phone is out, angled towards them and Hawks shuffles until they're side by side, wing behind her. She smiles on instinct but- oh. He's blocking the background. But why-

"Hey, what's your Hero-Time username? I'll tag you."

"Tag me?" Nana repeats, shaking her head slightly and peering over his shoulder (easy, given her superior height). He is indeed on Hero-Time, the photo of them both already half-way to uploaded. It's just waiting on a completed tagline. "It's Fortified, but with a tilde on the end."

"A what?"

"The wave line."

"Why didn't you just say so?" Hawks mutters, typing away (which, how? He's wearing thick gloves and his phone is still responding flawlessly). Beneath the photo of them both, it's not captioned '_Met up with Minato's Best Girl for a race and we drew. Fortified~ sure is quick on her feet ;P._'

"Wait, you take the mick out of me for my emoticons, then you post that lazy thing?" Nana grumbles, knocking her elbow against Hawks'. He keeps a tight grip on his phone as his arm is forcibly jostled, posting the picture for his millions of followers to see. She should know, she's one of them. Most heroes follow each other, though the higher the ranking, the less likely you are to get a follow back.

Hero-Time had been created ten years ago, a social app dedicated to hero interactions. It'd only partially opened up to the rest of the populous five years ago. You had to provide a Hero-ID to get a Hero Account on there, which came with more privileges and access to the messenger feature. Fans could post pictures of heroes they'd spotted, they could follow hero accounts and-

And they could like pictures too. No comments, because that's asking for trouble.

There's already a thousand likes on that picture and it'd been uploaded a minute ago.

"One and a half to me, a half point to you," Hawks concludes, turning on heel to face their teenaged audience. "Let's send them on their way and get some food, yeah?"

* * *

**Finished this yesterday, posting today.**

**Tsume  
****xxx**


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

"So, your quirk used to break your bones, huh?" That's an interesting titbit of information.

There are a lot of quirks in the world with violent drawbacks (there'd been one ten years ago he remembers reading about, a kid whose quirk had been gills but the parents hadn't recognised it quick enough and they'd died for it), but breaking bones is relatively rare. Usually, the body is built to withstand a strength quirk. But hey, Fortify's fast too, isn't she? A little more than strength. Genetic Stockpiling is what the official papers say, but Keigo's already well aware that they can lie. After all, his own only half-lists his abilities with his wings. Always best to keep something up your sleeve and all that.

Regardless, there has to be someone with some kind of strength or speed quirk in the family for it to have been passed down to Nana. How far back in the family tree that is… well, that's the key question, isn't it? There'd been no official statement on how far through her ancestors the quirk reaches. Still, it's an interesting one, that's for sure.

"Yep. Got my leg twice, and my arm once. Broke both my humorous and my clavicle with that last one," Fortify admits, patting at the bone in question, sheepish smile on her face. "I've got to be quite strict with my diet and exercise; if my body isn't at its best, then I'll probably end up breaking something else."

"And that's why the specialist put you in contact with Midoriya?" There's another thing to take note of there. Fortify clearly has foreign blood while Midoriya is undoubtedly one hundred percent Japanese. So, blood relation is probably out (you can never tell with quirks, after all) given that Fortify had not referred to her Dad as 'our Dad', and Midoriya had mentioned getting back to _his_ mum.

"Yeah. His quirk's a genetic hiccup, came right out of nowhere. Poor kid has no idea." She shakes her head with a smile, leaping to her feet as the bullet train screeches to a stop.

They've taken the train to Minato, hiding in the 'hero only' compartment that almost all of the vehicles offered. While he doesn't have an issue meeting and greeting the public (public approval rating is rather important, after all), he does want to get something to eat before all of the restaurants close. Well, that's a lie, there're always restaurants open, catering for the people who work at all the odd-hours of the night. But the really nice ones are usually only open during normal business hours.

Not that Keigo knows where they're going, but he assumes it's somewhere nice. They're in Fortify's neck of the woods, after all, she'll probably know somewhere they can eat.

"You ever had Italian, Hawks?"

"Mmm, tried it once. Wasn't too bad." Pasta was relatively similar to noodles and he's not opposed to tomatoes or garlic, which appears to be a key ingredient in their dishes.

"Great! Food chosen!"

.

Fortify's well known here, recognised on sight when they walk through the door; clearly a loyal customer given the owner refers to her as 'Nana-chan'. The term of address implies she's been coming here since she was young and she doesn't need to even look at the menu to place an order. He picks the Chicken Cacciatore, because the flightless bird has never done him wrong before.

"Can I ask you a question, Fortify?"

She blinks, drawing her lips back off of the plastic straw (not particularly environmentally friendly, are they?).

"Go for it."

"What do you think the role of a hero is in today's society?" The Hero Commission is aware of her, knows enough about her to have found some reason to either a) keep a close eye on her through Keigo or b) want her on side for some reason. They've given him no hint as to which of these it is, just implied that it won't sully his reputation for their meet ups to be mistaken for dating. Appearance wise, he as to agree. Hāfu status doesn't really mean much anymore in the face of all these quirks, not that it was looked unfavourably upon in that era before the age of quirks.

"I think the role of a hero has been redefined by All Might, that's for sure." Fortify runs a hand through her hair, a few flecks of sand sprinkling free with the motion. She scowls at them, reaching for a napkin. Not that Keigo is really surprised; they were near a beach. Sand. Gets. Everywhere. "The origin of heroes is in vigilantism, isn't it? It's only in the last century that it's become a respectable profession. Even then, fifty or so years ago, there were others that were idolised. All Might changed everything; he's inspired at least two generations. There are more applications to Hero High Schools than for any other profession in the whole country." She pauses, working her lip back and forth and Keigo uses the pause to take a swing of his own beverage. Rum and coke; he doesn't normally indulge but he's chocked for interviews tomorrow; there'll be no hero work, barring an emergency. Even so, he'll only have the one glass before swapping out to the non-alcoholic alternative. Just in case.

In a low whisper, Fortify continues, "still, there'll come a time when All Might just can't keep going. He's going to leave an incredibly large void that I don't think one person can fill. When that happens, how we react will define the new era of Heroics for our country."

"I agree. Now, I'm not an All Might fan or anything, but he's certainly made his impact. He's kinda synonymous with the word hero now, isn't he?" Keigo plucks one of the breadsticks from the basket in the centre of the table, twirling it around his fingers before pointing towards his companion. "When he does retire, it's going to be up to the likes of us to create that new definition of hero."

"Us, huh?" Fortify muses, one elbow on the table, head supported by the fist digging into her cheek. Her blue eyes are sharp, assessing, and Keigo grins, spreading his arms, as if to welcome whatever comment she's going to make once he's finished.

"Yep. The next generation of heroes. Public opinion will be on shaky foundations when the age of the greats passes up by; it's up to us to keep their faith in heroism."

Their food picks this moment to arrive, cutting off whatever response Fortify would have given to that. Their conversation turns to more casual topics, neither of them willing to get on a spiral and risk their food getting cold before they could finish.

.

They part ways once they're done with dessert (while the meal had been okay, Keigo can say he certainly enjoyed Italian desserts). Fortify waves as she takes off, proclaiming her shift is due to start in an hour. Which, ouch, a night shift sucks balls. He's well aware, has pulled enough of them himself. Instead of braving the bullet train, Keigo takes to the skies, the early summer's breeze rippling through his feathers. It'd been an interesting night.

Fortify has clearly grown up in Minato; she traversed the streets without any hesitation and easily adapted a route upon finding one road shut for repairs. She's an All Might fan, but then, who isn't these days? Very few. Keigo respects the man, acknowledges everything he's done for heroes and the population in general, but he wouldn't say he's anything more than a casual fan. A _very_ casual fan.

Finally, and most importantly, she's put thought into a world not held upon the shoulders of All Might. Very few people in their profession have ever considered such a thing. The sun rises in the East, the tide comes and goes, and All Might arrives to say 'I am here'. Only, he won't be forever, not even he can outpace time. That's the key thing he's taking away from this. Fortify clearly has hero connections, someone sensible enough to consider how the world is going to change in the future.

Landing atop one of the high-rise buildings, Keigo sits himself down, legs hanging over the edge as he pulls out his phone. He attaches a link to the pictures that are already surfacing on Hero-Time, sending off a quick text.

**Hawks:  
**There you go.  
Hawks and Fortify looking friendly and having dinner.  
Any chance you're willing to share a bit of insider information?

**Boss Lady:  
**Don't get cheeky, Hawks.  
The world will be changing soon. There'll be a new number one in the next five years.

Well fuck if that doesn't sound ominous. The President is very sure of that five -ear time-scale, otherwise she wouldn't have put it in writing. Something else of note is that she's always cautious with her estimates. So, probably three years before… before what? All Might retires? Steps down? The man's appearances have been lessening but he's been at this job for decades. Longer than Keigo has been alive anyway.

**Hawks:  
**You're not expecting me to actually date her, right?  
I mean, nothing against Fortify but I'm very uncomfortable with the idea of fake dating.

If it were the other participant in the fake dating who was asking, Keigo would have absolutely zero problems. But stringing someone along because he's been given orders? Yes, that he has a problem with.

**Boss Lady:  
**Of course not. We're the Hero Commission, to give you such a task would be immoral.  
Remain on good terms, Hawks.  
As the Number Three Hero, it is important that you are prepared for the inevitable changes society will soon face.

Well, that about sums it up. Whatever the President knows, it's highly likely Fortify has the same knowledge. It's just too much of a coincidence; his dinner date had spoken about a world Post-All Might as if it were inescapable, something that lingers in wait on the horizon. And now the President has given him a timescale of five years. Tops. Instructions to remain on good terms with a hero that's probably involved with whatever's going on with All Might… It probably won't take him long to figure out what the issue is. Several theories are already scratching at the edge of his brain; he just needs to perform some research.

"Ah. So much for a life where I can retire to bed early."

* * *

Chewing on his lip, Izuku hunches over in the cafeteria, determinedly avoiding looking in Kacchan's direction. The other had taken one furious look at him after Nana-senpai and Hawks (The Hawks! It's such a shame he hadn't thought to ask for an autograph! Then, he'd have only needed to get Endeavour's to have all of the Top Three!) had left.

"_Fucking Deku! Just because you know a fucking hero doesn't mean shit! You're nothing compared to me and I'll fucking prove it!"_

Kacchan's had had been sparking as he'd roared that out, storming off. He'd not looked his way once today, not that Izuku had seen anyway. He hadn't exactly been looking. Hadn't dared.

Pulling out his phone, Izuku stuffs a handful of onigiri into his mouth, chewing a she scrolls. He's following All Might of course, even though he now knows the official feed isn't run by the man himself. When it came to picking who to follow, Izuku'd had to limit himself to no more than twenty heroes. After all, he could flick to the news tab to find out the daily happenings, even change some of his watch-list out if needs be.

Now, now he's up to twenty-one heroes. Because how could he not follow Fortify when Nana-senpai has been so good to him?

Scanning the newsfeed (a picture of her on duty last night, another of her bed posted twelve hours later with nothing but a heart captioning it), he pauses on the picture Hawks tagged her in, the one from yesterday. Heh, he ate cake with Hawks and it was the same cake All Might has eaten for his birthday for the last ten years. At least!

Though one of his wings (Fierce Wings – Hawks' mutant quirk allows him telepathically control each of his individual feathers) is spread to cover the background, it's possible to deduce they're by the beach. Sand particles in hair, the glare of the sun off the water.

There's a crumb of All Might's cake still in the corner of Hawks' mouth.

It'd been so cool watching them race too, even if it'd been over before he could blink. To think, one day he'll have All Might's quirk (the Number One here believes in him!) and he'll be able to go as fast as Nana-senpai.

His phone buzzes before he can go any further.

**Senpai:  
**Hey, Curly-top. You usually text by now. That Kacchan kid isn't giving you any trouble, is he? Do I need to come down and shake some sense into him? X

**Izuku:  
**No! He's fine! He's not even looked my way all day! You don't need to come and shake him down! I'm fine!  
Are you okay after a night shift?

**Senpai:  
**Good. Let me know if I need to square up with a Middle Schooler though (๑˃̵ᴗ˂̵)و x  
And of course, I'm fine, you keep focused on your studies, my cute little Kohai! You can do it! (*￣▽￣)d  
Best of luck with the rest of your day! x

Yeah. All Might believes in him. And so does Nana-senpai.

* * *

**Reason Hawks hasn't told Fortify he's been asked to be on good terms with her; er, they're not friends yet? Friendly acquaintances, yes, but there's no trust between them as things are, other than the professional 'I trust you to save my life, fellow hero'. IDK, I just see Hawks as someone who likes to gather the facts and move once he's analysed everything. Not to say he can't work on the fly, but I think he prefers not to. **

**Tsume  
****xxx**


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

"Fortify?"

Glancing up, Nana tilts her head to a side at the sight of Saburo. She has exactly two other employees, a legal representative and her 'coordinator'. She's not actually sure of the technical name for Kenji's job; he was one of the very, very few of her Dad's people who knew about their relationship and, thus, followed her into her own agency. Almost like another uncle. He's the one who handles the shit to do with the cases; points her towards incidents that're in her skill set, gets her case files to work on. He knows her well... god, she's incredibly lucky he followed her from Dad's place.

However, it's Saburo that's called for her attention.

Nana hastily scrambles up from her desk, shoving the box of chocolates she'd been picking at into the draw of said desk.

Fuck it, if any day of the year should be a cheat day, it's today.

"Saburo-kun? What's wrong?" There can't be anything too drastic going on outside; she's got the hero channel playing on her office radio and no alert has been put out. True, the sun is dipping below the horizon and night is a more active time for the seedier villains (the dangerous ones come out in the day, the ones who feel they have nothing to hide or they're too strong for a hero to stop).

"Fortify, you have a, er, visitor?"

Cocking an eyebrow, Nana looks to the little screen that shows the lobby. Her second brow goes up. Because, that's Hawks. In full hero get-up with a massive box held between his hands that, if it weren't for his colossal wings, would dwarf his torso.

"Huh," Nana murmurs, scrambling for an explanation as to why the other would be here but utterly unable to come up with a reason. He'd made no hint of dropping by for a visit when they'd been texting yesterday. In fact, he'd said he had the morning shift. Which must mean he's just finished up and... and come all the way to Minato to stop by?

"Thank you, Saburo-kun. I'll go see what Number Three wants." Instead of racing to her feet though, Nana pulls her desk draw open, plucking the half-eaten box of chocolates out of the mess hidden within. She offers one up to the teen, popping another between her lips. Then, she's off.

.

Once she's made it down the corridor, the news of their unexpected visitor has spread; Kyoko is leaning out of her little office with raised eyebrows. She has the cheek to wink at her and Nana huffs, tongue out and nose scrunched up. She doesn't say anything on the matter though because a) Kyoko is older than her and b) she's her legal representative. Best not to piss her off by accident. Still, this does beggar the question of what their friendship (is it friendship? It's so much more difficult to tell once you're an adult) looks like to others. They've eaten out a few times, met up for a race twice (with a third one pending; Nana will beat him, she will) and they text each other at least once a day. Given their last discussion in person, she'd even forwarded him her old 'A World Post All Might' dissertation. And hell, he'd actually read it, discussing her theories of the changes that could be made to plug the gaping hole her father's retirement will create.

To others though... well, Nana's seen the pictures. Izuku's even asked if she and Hawks are just friends which, well, is probably his polite way of asking if they're dating without flat out accusing her of doing so.

She can only remain thankful Dad has never really cared to check on the rumours that circulate about heroes. Otherwise he might start asking her uncomfortable questions. Or worse, invite Hawks over for a family meal. Not that she's ashamed of Dad (how could anyone be ashamed of him?) but the thought of him getting the wrong idea and presuming she and Hawks were dating? Yeah, uncomfortable.

No matter how pretty he is.

"Hawks?"

The hero in question stands up from the chair he'd occupied, wigs stretching out before curling slightly. Then, he's coming closer, a cheery jingle echoing from a phone that she assumes must be in his hand. She can't even see his face behind that massive box but, with musical accompaniment, it's all starting to make sense now.

"-Happy birthday Girl-Who's-Older-Than-Me! Happy birthday to you!"

The present is thrust in her direction and Nana catches the edges of it, fingers digging into the crisp blue box with a little more force then necessary. She slowly places it on the floor, wary of anything fragile within. Though, given how roughly Hawks has handled it, she doubts it,

"Hello Hawks. And thank you, for the present." Whatever on Earth it is. It's huge, with some substantial weight to it, but not enough that Hawks clearly couldn't fly with it.

"It's your birthday, so, Happy Birthday." He pats the top of the box, smiling as he shoves his hands into his pockets, eyes closed behind his visor and looking all the world like he's completely at ease. As if she should have expected this.

"I... thank you, Hawks."

"Yeah, well, I was only dropping by to make the delivery. Enjoy the rest of your special day and, you know, if you want me to go easy on you at our next race," he shrugs, offering that winning smile and Nana returns the gesture, if more aggressively than the other hero.

"Nice surprise or not, I'm still gonna beat you, Bird Boy."

"Ah, track record says otherwise, Castle Girl."

.

He disappears after that, flying off into the dusking sky. It sucks, working a night shift on her birthday. But she'd been able to get the usual birthday traditions in with Dad before she arrived at the office and she has separate plans with Mirai and co, and Izuku tomorrow.

It isn't until the end of her shift when the ass-crack of dawn has surfaced that she gets to open the ridiculously sized present. Within, a plush that has to be at least six feet in length resides, orange and white scales set ablaze in the morning sun. It's a koi fish.

**Nana:  
**Kaoruko-chan, I think I'm in trouble xx

* * *

While things with Mirai are tense, they could have been far worse. Without the bridge that is Nana, without that link, that one person they both associate so closely with (that one person who doesn't know what they are warring over) the Toshinori assumes they would be on far worse standing than they actually are. Still, his visits are sporadic at best, predominantly due to his weak health and the desire to not cause a scene in Mirai's offices. His former sidekick has sidekicks now, a cute little intern of his own. Toshinori knows its just a coincidence that the boy has blond hair and blue eyes too, but there had been one moment where he had looked at him and wondered.

(Was Mirai trying to recreate him?)

Unfortunately, this distance between them continues to persist as his former sidekick refuses to accept Toshinori's decision to keep performing his role as the Symbol of Peace; he refuses to retire as All Might. For all that he's found a successor, found young Midoriya… he's not done yet.

Sitting in Mirai's office with a large glass of orange juice (his favourite drink), Toshinori offers his former sidekick a smile and returns his eyes to the camera feed. It shows the intern (Togata Mirio, a second year at UA, tipped to become one of the Big Three if what he's heard from his future colleagues is correct) facing off against Centipeder. He's good, Toshinori cannot dispute that.

But he has already promised One for All to someone else. He just… hasn't gotten around to telling Mirai that yet.

Ah, what a stressful thought. He's going to have to tell him today, that much is clear. With the way his friend is throwing this kid at him all the time, it's obvious he's not going to give up until Toshinori makes it abundantly clear that it's not going to happen. Which-

"-be quiet, Kaoruko-chan!" Nana-tan?

Jolting up, Toshinori almost ignores the groan that his former sidekick gives out at the sound of his daughter's panicked voice floating down the hallway. Only that Mirai doesn't immediately leap to attention stops him from racing to the rescue.

"It's nothing to worry about," the other confines in him, removing his glasses in order to rub at the bridge of his nose; it's Mirai's most exasperated expression. "Nana-chan has gone soft on someone."

Soft on someone?

.

_"Nana-tan?" _

_Peeling the pillow back from his little girl's face (even if she's not so little anymore, already heading for middle school, where is the time going), Toshinori observes the pink cheeks, the awed eyes and the slightly dazed smile. Then, he turns to look at the television, frowning. It's a documentary, the same one that runs every year but with new focus subjects. Up and coming Pro Heroes. And, on screen, there's a new hero who's clearly basing his look off the ninjas of old. Not exactly something that will inspire trust, what with all the sneaking they were known for, nevermind the whispered assinations. Regardless, a lot of the younger generations, he supposes, will think he's-_

_"Cool," Nana whispers, clutching the pillow tighter to her chest and all but squealing, wriggling about in her seat. _

_ ._

_It takes him three weeks. Three weeks of the same face popping up on the television screen, a new calendar suddenly appearing along with posters, all on the same subject. Three weeks but it clicks. _

_Nana has a hero crush. She's gone soft on someone._

_ ._

_"There'll be other people you come to like, Nana-tan," Toshinori mutters awkwardly, counselling his darling daughter as she whimpers into a pillow. It's not a surprise to him that this 'Edgeshot' has started dating. But, it's… well, not broken Nana's heart, but it seems to have upset her._

_"Not like him there won't be."_

_"Not like him," Toshinori agrees, smoothing her hair down. She's growing it out now which is for the best. Whenever it gets wet, whenever it smooths down to press against her skull, the similarities between them become that bit more obvious. Thank god she got Selene's soft face, just with a sprinkling of his features scattered in. "There might be someone you end up liking better."_

_"I doubt it, Papa."_

_"Well, I reserve the right to say 'I am here, and I told you so!'" he booms, digging his fingers into her sides until Nana is laughing again and everything is back to normal._

.

"Ah," Toshinori murmurs, running a hand through his shaggy hair, glancing away. "And, er, you know this-"

"Because she and Bubblegirl have been speaking about it non-stop," Mirai deadpans, returning to his computer and typing away. "It has been eight days Al- Toshinori. Eight days. Talk some sense into her." 'Before I throw her out' is the unspoken end but he catches the implications anyway.

.

He stops outside the little break room, almost ready to walk in but he can't, not when he hears Nana speaking.

"I mean, it's ridiculous. He doesn't use any punctuation in his texts and, I mean, I thought he was kinda cool but it's only the other day that I kinda figured we're friends? And then he's getting me a birthday gift that's my favourite animal. He's never asked me about that, so he must have done some research online, which is- ah, he put in effort and I don't know what to do!"

"Er, date him, obviously," is Bubblegirl's (Kaoruko-chan, Nana's friend) reply, as if the solution is simple. The sky is blue, the earth goes around the sun and Nana-tan groans (his precious girl who is growing up so fast; god, she's an adult now, an actual adult with a job and her own apartment and she doesn't rely on him anymore).

"It's not that simple. Besides, I'm taller than him. Most boys don't like tall girls, right?"

"Most boys. Besides, as far as I've heard, having thighs that could shatter a watermelon outranks the girl being shorter than them when it comes to desirable traits."

Nana laughs and Toshinori swallows back the worry in his throat. His baby girl has a good friend in Bubblegirl; if things doesn't work out with this boy, then he knows she'll have a goof friend to revive her spirits.

Besides, he can't fight his little girl's battles for her, not matter how much he may want to.

* * *

**Da-da!**

**Tsume  
****xxx**


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

"Fortify-senpai?"

Squatting down beside Mirai's intern, Nana draws a finger up to rest before her lips, silently shushing the other. A week ago, she'd agreed to a team-up with Nighteye's agency for a bust operation. The other hero has completed all the steal and information gathering aspect; the only thing left do now is to catch their villains. The reason Mirai had asked for her help with the case is quite simple; they're dealing with Trigger suppliers. Consequently, it's very likely their criminals will either be on the drug themselves, or very quickly able to inject themselves with in mid-fight. Hence, Mirai had asked for her. Nana is, after all, one of the heroes closest to him that can respond to the request. The only other one would be Dad and… Dad's on a time limit now.

Pulling her phone from her side pocket, Nana types out what she wants to say, spinning the screen around to face the other.

'Anything you need to say, type on here. While we've scanned for bugs and know there's no one in the gang with an audio quirk, there's always the possibility that someone in there is collecting and does.'

'I see; are you familiar with daisy manoeuvre?'

Nana nods, rolling her shoulders before she fires off her order to the cute little intern (he's a centimetre smaller than her, that makes him little and you'll have to claw that fact out of her cold, dead hands).

'I'll give you a distraction; be ready'

With that, Nana leaps down from the building they've been resting in, sticking the landing with a roll instead of the usual impact crater. They are, after all, going for a surprise attack.

The warehouse before her is silent. There's no wind tonight, nothing to howl through the broken window panes, to rattle the threadbare curtains that still hang closed on the other side. The streetlamps are lit, but the bulbs are dull, uncared for in these abandoned docks. In a month, construction here will begin; it's why they're moving now. Any longer, and Mirai risks these criminals getting away, going to ground while they try to find a new place to do business.

Coming up from the roll, Nana pushes off the ground, hearing the crack the force of her leap makes a second after she's already collided with the front door. It blasts inwards, startling shouts from the occupants inside as Nana follows it in.

It's an old slaughterhouse (how cliché) with metal chains but a lack of carcasses (thank god, she doesn't doubt the smell would be horrific). She grabs one, activating Swing. That long buried, hardly used part of her quirk that comes from her mum. Instantly, she stops going forwards, rocking around and back towards the main collection of criminals. They're reacting, but slow. Two with dilated pupils, needles still clutched in hand; recently injected. A mutant type, the other either an emitter or transformer. Doesn't matter. As the two confirmed trigger users, she has to deal with them first.

No way is she letter Mirai's intern take a crack at the most dangerous ones; that'd be irresponsible.

She pounces. The first (the unknown) gets a fist to the face, carefully controlled power that is enough to knock a man unconscious. By that point, the second is already rounding on her, face like a snapping turtling a shell growing from his body to encase… all of him? Okay, fuck trigger.

.

It takes three good slugs of increasing power until she finally breaks through the shell's defences and downs the man. The first is still out cold and Nana can now turn her attention to the remaining few. Lemillion has already surged out of the floor and taken two out; the rest are not fairing much better than those already down. The kid is good; phasing in and out of tangibility so his attacks land but his enemies' don't. Still, they need to wrap this up quickly and call in restraint force.

Nana lunges, taking two with quick love-taps, a spinning kick to the head catching a third. Another plus point for being tall; kicking people in the head is a lot easier. If she was five-foot nothing, she'd have had to jump, for that. Lemillion gets the fourth and Nana goes for the fifth, grappling with the other until she's got him in a chokehold, counting down until he runs below the amount of oxygen required to remain conscious.

Thirty seconds; that's all it takes the two of them to bring down the seven criminals inside. She recognises four of the five she and Lemillion have just handed their asses to; the two users (Turtle and Mystery-quirk) clearly customers.

"Lemillion, radio us in to Nighteye, please." She squats, heels flat against the floor, and begins rooting through the jacket of the one closest to her. Three vials of Trigger (all full), a phone (no scratches on the screen; it's new), and a wallet (hefty). She repeats the process with the others, coming away with fourteen vials (two empty; used by Turtle and Mystery-quirk), and a phone for each of them (two for the one she didn't recognise; clearly a burner), and a lot of cash, most likely dirty.

By that point, Lemillion is off the phone, watching over her shoulder with brows pressing heavy over the bridge of his nose.

"We'll hand the phones over to Nighteye; hopefully he'll have the knowhow on how to get into them-" admitted, an area she's lacking in but hey, you can't be good at everything, "along with the cash. Trigger will go right to the relevant police department." Nana pauses, running a hand through her hair as she rises to her feet. "Do you have any questions, Lemillion?"

The kid's visor is gone, so it's blatantly clear when his eyes light up at the question.

"Only a million!" He laughs, rubbing at the back of his head.

"Well, we've had a successful bust; what's say I treat you to a late-night bite, Lemillion?"

.

Mirai's little apprentice loves ramen.

Sitting on the bar stool beside the second-year student, Nana swirls her spiralized daikon ramen, watching Mirio chat animatedly over Hero-time with his friends. As UA students, they'll be on student accounts that they'd have been given at the start of their second year, unless things have changed since Nana went there. It wasn't too long ago, she assumes they haven't changed that much.

Inhaling another portion of noodles, Nana waves for the cheque, fishing in her pockets for that lovely piece of plastic that is, as it was in her last life, the gateway to her bank account.

"Fortify-senpai! Will you appear in my video with Tamaki and Nejire?"

"Of course!" Abandoning the last dregs of her ramen, Nana throws one arm around Mirio's shoulders, leaning in to smile wide and bright at the camera. The phone is held landscape to account for the split screens, inhabited by two people. The boy flinches with the shock of her sudden appearance, while the girl just leans closer, as if wanting to tumble through the screen and pull up a stool beside them.

"Hello Little hero kohais!"

"Hi, Fortify-senpai! Mirio-kun was just telling me all about you, is it true that you're super strong? How many cars do you think you could lift at once? What's the heaviest thing you've ever lifted? Mirio-kun said you're fast as well, how fast? Your quirk seems really cool..."

Nana blinks, listening to the girl ramble and then descend off into a spiral of her classmates and their quirks. Wow.

Nana sits and politely answers all of Nejire's questions, genuinely impressed by the extend of some of them. Just until Mirai rings back, requesting the two of them return to base to consolidate their knowledge on the case and those they've captured.

.

"-all from different regions of Japan. While we've long since been aware that Trigger is still slipping into the country, the expanse of ground it's covering just between the criminals we've caught tonight is... worrisome."

With his fingers threaded before his face, Nighteye (because it's hero time now, not friend time) meets each of their gaze in turn. Bubblegirl and Centipeder both nod, Lemillion hunched over and looking like the all-nighter is starting to catch up on him. Understandably so, the dawning sun is starting to leak in through the windows and it's not even rising early now, what with it being November now.

Running a hand down the side of her face, Nana reaches for the glass of water, downing three mouthfuls before she decides to throw in her own two cents.

"So, we let those heroes who oversee the most of their region know what's gone on tonight and, then what?"

"And then my agency will begin tracking those in our area," Nighteye confirms, tapping at the sheet of paper in front of him. "It'll be a long-term operation, probably months before we manage to find the supplier. I hope I can count on your, Fortify, if we need more muscle."

"Of course," Nana agrees with a firm nod, eyes scanning down the list of locations to be investigated. The one second from the bottom- "I'll head over to Kagawa Omezo's apartment now. I've got the time and energy; it's best these get investigated before the people they work with get suspicious and clear everything out."

Mirai nods, pulling out his laptop, dismissing the sidekicks and the interns as an afterthought. Hopping up onto her feet, Nana clamps a hand down on Mirio's shoulder, waiting until the boy looks her in the eyes before she grins.

"Go get some sleep, kiddo. You did good today, not that I'm surprised."

"Right! Thank you, Fortify-senpai!"

.

She's on the bullet train. Just like Izuku had said months ago, they've upgraded the design, the compartments sleeker, shiny in their newness. There're the usual commuters on board for an early shift, all morning workers with the occasional schoolkid thrown in. She's not quite sure which significant High Schools there are outside of Tokyo; she's never bothered to look into hem, always sure that she was going to UA. She'd fought hard to get her place there, worked her ass off both to get in, and then to get out with a hero license attached to her fine self. Nana ain't a quitter, she's made sure of that.

Which brings her to an awkward thought.

She still hasn't addressed the crush situation. It's still there, nestled deep in her stomach and it refuses to go away. For all that they text as normal… Nana has been pulling a few extra hero shifts. She keeps telling herself its for the money, for the final push to the new polls that'll come out at the end of the year, for the satisfaction of knowing she's helped people that, had she not been working, may not have been helped. And all those are true! But, so is the fact she's taken great relief in being able to text Hawks that, nope, sorry, can't meet up for a race this week, I'm working. It's stupid and irrational and she needs to get a hold of herself.

Taking the corner of her cape in hand, Nana whips it up and half covers her face, using it as a blanket with which to lean against the window. They're roaring through the countryside towards Fukuoka, specifically, Nishi Ward. It's where Kagawa Omezo just so happened to have an apartment, not even an hour's walk from Hawks' Agency. There's absolutely no reason she shouldn't stop by. And, there's no reason why she shouldn't let the other hero know she's interested. Worst comes to worst and he only wants to be friends. Nana can handle that; she'll get over this silly little crush. It won't be as easy as the whole teenaged-Edgeshot fiasco given that she actually knows Hawks and is friends with him, but she'll manage. Of that, Nana's confident. She's not defined by a boy, by others. She is a hero who will save people who need help, a hero her father will be proud to call his daughter. She's a senpai to Midoriya Izuku and a workplace senpai to Mirio-kun.

She's Fortify, a badass in her own right.

"I got this," Nana whispers beneath her breath, rubbing at her drooping eyes, peering out of the windows as they pull up into the train's final stop.

Right, apartment first then… then a quick nap in the nearest hotel. Once she's semi-coherent, then she'll hunt Hawks down… or wait for him at his agency where she will hopefully be able to catch a second nap.

Yeah, that sounds like a solid plan.

* * *

**Read the new manga chapter. I am so fucking worried for Hawks right now that I can barely express it (I can't remember the last time I was so invested in anything; holy shit, he better be okay)**

**Hope you're all safe and well,**

**Tsume  
****xxx**


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Kagawa Omezo's apartment does not look like the den of a drug dealer from the outside. It's neither upscale or destitute, instead a nice little two-bedroom about a ten-minute walk from the beach. Admittedly, a very thin stirp of beach, but a beach nonetheless. With it being later morning, the sun is steadily climbing to its pinnacle and the local housewives are all exiting their homes, for the weekly shop or biweekly club meeting, Nana's not sure. She is relatively sure that she's running on less sleep than most of them though. Only most because there are probably a few with babies and everyone knows you don't sleep when you have a baby. Dad's told her that enough times to hammer that point home.

Knocking on the door, Nana steps through as one of the officers already on the scene opens it, nodding her head as she scans the room. The forensic team is already set up, waltzing around in their biohazard suits and- and one is being presented to her.

"Thanks." It's a pain to get into, the elastic at the legs and arms stiff and, were it not for her suit, they'd probably be itching her skin too.

"Fortify-san?"

"Yep, that's me."

"A pleasure," the officer who had approached her gives a dip of her head, offering one gloved hand and Nana grips it, offering a firm shake. "I'm officer Ayame and this is my team. I understand we're looking for any evidence of Trigger?"

"Yeah, along with anything that connects Kagawa to a criminal syndicate, be it local or further afield." The woman hums, sharp eyes scanning their surroundings and Nana makes to copy the motion, taking in everything she can see. No art of the walls, the couch comfortable but clearly second hand. The wardrobe, exposed by one of the officers as they systematically check through all the clothes inside, is relatively sparse. If she had to take a guess, then Nana would assume this isn't a permanent home. More of a place to rest. Then again, drug runners probably can't stay in one place for too long.

"Have we found a laptop? Kagawa had a burner phone on him when we took him into custody, but no phone with actual named contacts in." It'd all be numbers, either potential customers or suppliers. They haven't exactly rung them to check. Apparently, it's police protocol to wait and see if any messages are sent through first whilst working the owner over. She seriously doubts that the other will volunteer to work with the police to take his associates down. There is still some honour among thieves.

"Already sent it to the tech department at the station. I saw on the documentation that Nighteye is leading this operation, so any evidence we uncover will be sent to his agency."

"Yeah, we're working together on this. Nighteye is more the planning type, I'm more the 'complete the actual bust' type," Nana murmurs with a sheepish laugh, tapping at the walls as she walks down the north-facing wall, grinning when the pitch of her knock changes.

"Hey? Got a way into this wall?"

.

As it turns out, there's a safe in the wall. This is where Nana gets to shine, ripping the metal casing apart at the hinges, the screech of protest near unholy. But she manages, exposing the bundles of cash and cases of Trigger hidden within. As if being caught in the act of dealing out Trigger wasn't enough, this would easily let them put away Kagawa for a decade. Trigger, after all, is one of the substances the courts like to dish out heavy sentences for, as they should.

"We'll get all our evidence together and pass a copy on to Nighteye, though, locally-"

"That's my next job. I came to check this place out, see if there were any hints of this being part of a wider web-" There isn't, it appears that Kagawa is just on the outskirts of it all. "- and then I said I'd stop by Hawks' agency to make sure he's aware of what he needs to keep an eye out for."

Officer Ayame offers her thanks and congratulations, Nana blushing and waving it away and she stumbles out of the biohazard suit. It's strange, interacting with police officers on her own. She's obviously done it before, but this is her first time riding solo when she's not been handing a villain over to them to take into custody.

"Yes, with Hawks around, I'm sure anyone daring to deal in Trigger will be caught soon enough! I can't tell you how lucky we are to be working in the same area as him; we deal with a lot less cases because of it."

Yeah, Nana could imagine.

She waves goodbye the officers, ducking out of the front door and taking the hallway window as an exit as opposed to trying to deal with the stairs and makes for the beach instead.

.

It takes ten minutes at a steady run (hero style) to reach Momochi Seaside Park. Sand particles stick to her face and her cape will be in dire need of a wash to get rid of all the salt stains it'll have accumulated, but it'd been nice. The only beach she's really visited in the last few weeks is Izuku's training beach and, for all that it's starting to look less like the city dumping ground, it's not like this. Clear sands, deep blue ocean, she can even see Nokonoshima Island across the stretch of water. A handful of people stare as she takes a seat, eyes drawn by the costume. She's not a local hero though, predominantly works in Minato, so it's no surprise they don't recognise her. First year on the job going solo an' all.

Drawing out her phone, Nana snaps a quick pic, firing it off to Izuku first.

**Nana:**  
You get your beach looking this tidy before the entrance exam, and I'll treat you to a day out, Kohai xx

She scrolls through, thumb resting over Hawks' contact information, lips pressing into a frown. She's not controlled by her feelings, she's not boy focused. It's a crush and she should see if he's interested in a date.

It's less important than getting some sleep right now though.

Shutting the screen off, Nana stretches her arms up and over her head, shoulders rotating. Yeah. Sleep first, entice Hawks into a date later.

* * *

"Fortify?"

Humming, Keigo tilts his head to a side, balanced perfectly atop the edge of Seinangakuin University. There're plenty of students down there, hurrying to their next classes, chatting and relaxing and enjoying life. One of the boys at the bus-stop spots him first, hastily elbowing his friend while eagerly waving his way. Keigo waves back, pretends to catch the kiss one of the boy's friends blows his way, pressing it to his chest and laughing as the whole lot of them swiftly begin chatting. More and more people are starting to point and wave as Keigo lifts a hand to the earpiece.

"Yes, Hawks-sama. She arrived at the agency ten minutes ago, she's been in contact with the local police at the Nishi Ward; they reported in a Trigger case five hours ago."

Ah, Trigger. That explains why Fortify's in the area then. Drug smugglers make tracks across all of Japan, across the world. Another thing for him to keep an eye out for.

"Ask her if she doesn't mind waiting around for an hour? I can meet with her when I finish my rounds." Keigo crouches down, one hand resting on the roof as he spreads his wings wide. Predictably, the onlookers go nuts at the theatrics, flashes from phones and cameras going wild. He makes sure to angle his wings just so, catching the setting sun's bright light on each crimson feather. It'll make a good shot; he's had enough practice to know that.

Then, Keigo leaps.

.

The rest of his rounds are quiet; helping old ladies with their bags, corralling children into behaving for their stressed mothers, saving four cats from trees (a personal best; the most he's managed in an hour was three before today). Still, it's nice to see the smiles on their faces, the heartfelt thanks. He very rarely has time to appreciate those when he's taking down a villain.

He's never got to appreciate a welcome back to the office after a hard day's work either. Today's not looking good for breaking that record, even if there is technically another person present to welcome him. They do, after all, need to be awake to welcome someone back.

Fortify is out cold on his sofa, one arm lying across the back, cheek pressing into her bicep. There's a small pool of drool gathering on the navy of her sleeve, ponytail falling over half her face like a shoddy mask. Smirking, Keigo turns back to the receptionist who'd led him in today pulling out his phone and holding it out to the other. It takes a moment, but Goya gets the idea, accepting his phone once he's loaded up the camera app. Keigo silently tiptoes around the sofa, squatting until his face his near level with Fortify's, two fingers up in the peace sign.

"Don't even think about it."

"Fuck," he chokes out in surprise, hands held up in surrender as Fortify literally lifts him off the floor, the collar of his shirt caught in her fist. Yeah, that kind of reaction time is bloody impressive. Bit of a turn on too.

The snap of the camera going off has Keigo angling his head back to look at Goya and she snaps another photo.

"Good afternoon," Keigo chirps, grinning and giving a flap of his wings as Fortify puts him back on the floor. "Thanks, Goya. Can you let PR know I'll be posting some more on Hero Time today?"

His latest receptionist gives a bright chime of agreement as she leaves, heels clicking as she goes. The door whooshes shut and Keigo collapses onto the sofa that Fortify has just vacated, spreading his wides wide along the back and slouching into the fabric. It'll be another ten minutes before his dinner arrives and he honestly can't wait. Still, company makes time pass faster, doesn't it?

"What can I do for you, Fortify?" A thought has a feather breaking off, fetching over the spinning chair that's usually behind his desk, the back specifically cut low to accommodate his wings. She sinks into his with a sigh, shoulders rolling and clearly, he hasn't been the only one with a long shift. Though, if it'd been a drug-bust last night and she'd been at the apartment search this morning, chances are good his companion is running on only a few hours of sleep for the past two days. He's been there; it sucks.

"Two things, one business, one more personal," she murmurs, hiding a large yawn behind one hand. There're a few granules of sand by her hairline that's she's not managed to scrub out at whatever hotel she's crashed at. He hasn't been to the beach in a while, not since their last race anyway. "First up, as I'm sure you've heard, we had a Trigger bust last night. One of those involved had an apartment over on Nishi Ward. Nighteye's going to send you all the information he's gathered so far, so you can follow up on the leads in your own territory. I'll be taking back what I've learnt here to him and then probably only get involved if he needs some extra brute force to hand." She gives a lazy shrug of her shoulders and Keigo summons two feathers back with a cool bottle of pop curled up in each. He catches one, the other deposited in front of Fortify.

"Thanks."

"No problem. A cool drink is a great way to relax after a har day's work. It's just a shame that, with our job, drinking isn't something we get to indulge in a lot, right?" Keigo laughs, the hissing sound of the cap unscrewing melding with the word. "So, what's the personal thing?"

"I want to ask you on a date."

He chokes. It's embarrassing as hell and he's so glad Goya isn't around with the camera still because he knows the picture would make the internal rounds (the Hero Commission would never allow a picture of him being caught unguarded to surface for the rest of the public to see; the rest of his office would take great pleasure in laughing along with him on it though).

Fortify laughs, a loud, booming thing that, more than anything, tickles at his mind that he should recognise it. The same sensation from when they'd first met, when she'd first beat him to a rescue and then made a dramatic exit that'd inspired the same déjà vu that's coiling around in his head right now.

"Tell me that didn't change your mind, I'll never live it down," Keigo mumbles, digging in his pocket for a pack of tissues to clean up the spray that's now dotting across the coffee table. God, that'd be so embarrassing. Asked on his first date ever (well, by someone who's not a fan and actually knows him, sort of) only for the other to do a complete U-turn as he embarrasses himself.

"No, that was actually kinda endearing," Fortify murmurs, throwing her ankle up to rest on her knee, elbow to the other knee, chin in hand. She's tired, that much is evident by the slight droop to her eyelids and the developing smudges beneath them.

"I've never been on a date before," Keigo muses, rubbing at his chin, throwing the wet ball of tissues to the bin. It's goes in with ease, of course it does. His vision and hand-eye coordination are just that good. "What happens?"

Fortify looks bemused. "We go out, we do something together. We decide if we want to do it again or remain as friends." Huh. Simple enough.

"Sure, sounds like fun. What days are you free next week?"

* * *

**Still worried for Hawks, and for the world in general. Please keep as safe as you can (and drop a review if you're feeling nice?)**

**Hope you're all safe,**

**Tsume  
****xxx**


	13. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

"Dad?! Any idea where that blue ribbon is? I need it for my date!"

The blood spray is justified. Toshinori would like another other father to try and deny it.

Mopping up the sudden excess before his darling daughter can notice and do her usual 'worry-flutter', Toshinori straightens out his shirt and tries not to focus on how worryingly loose it is. He's getting better at that; before the injury, everything used to stretch over his form. Now, now it just falls. Falls and flumps and- No. He's not focusing on that. He's not.

More important is the sudden milestone that Nana's hit. True, she's been on a few dates before. But, dating in early High School and dating as an adult are two very different things. It takes a moment to find the camera, but find it he does, making his way into the living room of his apartment. His lunch can wait for a few minutes, it's not like it's anything particularly appetising anyway.

There's a series of successive thumps from Nana's room, undoubtedly her shuffling through the boxes of things she'd packed up to move to her own apartment, but had decided last minute to leave here and never bothered unpacking.

"Ah ha!" One last thump as everything is shoved to a side and then Nana's at the doorway, expertly weaving the blue ribbon through a crown braid, pinning the excess beneath the half of her hair that falls down her back. She's gotten good at doing them on her own, though there is the occasional day that she'll be over visiting and then suddenly plonk herself down on the floor and look up with those imploring puppy eyes. He's not completely sure that she's clicked on to the fact having something to do with his fingers helps calm the surge of anxiety that's persisted since that day five years ago, but… it wouldn't surprise him if she has.

"First adult date picture?" Toshinori asks, lifting the camera and Nana grins, hands clasped behind her back, leaning forwards and grinning wide. It's his grin, his Master's grin and Toshinori's heart aches as he takes the picture. He doesn't need to ask her about staying safe; Nana's a hero in her own right, with all the power of One for All surging through her veins. Very, very few people will be able to make her do something she doesn't want to do. It doesn't stem the worry in his chest, but (from the parenting books and websites he's visited over the past two decades) he's relatively sure that's a normal experience.

"Let me know if you need an overprotective Dad phonecall?"

"Of course," Nana agrees, racing back into her room and emerging again with a soft leather jacket. It goes over the cream jumper she's wearing, matching the ankle boots. Coupled with the blue denim; well, it's obvious Nana's fashion sense comes more from her mother than from him. Though their taste in super-suits are similar. "I'll send you a blank text if I need a bail out. Thanks, Dad!"

He's so pleased Nana didn't get all his height, so pleased he still has to stoop to rest his chin on her head when they hug. She'll always be his little girl and it's nice that one physical aspect of that remains.

"Have fun. Don't get pressured into anything. If you need All Might patrolling-"

"Then I'll send a text to the MightPhone. Bye, Dad!"

And she's gone.

Sitting himself down on the sofa, Toshinori flicks through the digital files on the camera, stopping in the one he's just taken. All grown up.

Ah, it's a good thing he has a meeting with Naomasa today; he needs someone to brag to and Sorahiko probably wouldn't share his enthusiasm in this.

* * *

One thumb in the pocket of his jeans, Keigo waves to the trio of teenaged girls who are giggling in his direction, wings spreading wider before folding back. Did he fly to Osaka? Yes. Why take the bullet train when he had no need to? That'd be silly. It might not have been his brightest idea, what with having to wear his visor and headphones for the trip. But the former he can push back to rest at the top of his head, the latter he can have hanging around his neck. Plus, if there's a call to action or some villain decides Osaka is the place to be today, well, they'll be in for a nasty surprise.

"Good afternoon, Hawks." And there she is.

Fortify looks significantly different out of hero wear, all light, soft colours and carefully styled hair. She's got ankle boots with a small heel on, increasing the height difference between them by another inch. You know, until he uses his wings, that is.

"Hey. Busy week?" He knows it has been; he's following her on Hero Time now. Seventeen arrests and one big scale villain fight. Admittedly, the latter one had happened before he'd started following her. The only reason he'd known she was involved at all was because Endeavour had raced to the scene but Fortify had already sorted it out by then.

"Urgh, yes. But, it's all for the best, right? And it's a good time to be busy, I guess, what with Rankings coming up." Ah yes, another two weeks and then some of them will be asked to show they faces at whatever day they decide the host it on. Obviously, the whole thing is kept top secret, the day of the event shared only twenty-four hours before it happens so that villains don't take advantage. Still, it's the reason most heroes keep their schedule as free as possible in the first week of December.

"Mmmm, yeah. I'm hoping to drop a few rankings, get some rest time." It's not gonna happen; he's too good at his job for it to happen. But, a man can dream, right?

"Please, you're going nowhere, Number Three," Fortify states, echoing his thoughts as they begin a slow stroll down the street, one of her hands resting on the handle of her bag, the other in her pocket. "You're far too efficient to drop. If anything, there's a chance you'll go up."

"You think so?" The thought is… a strange one. He can't imagine getting higher in the Rankings than Endeavour. And it'd have to be Endeavor that shifts for Keigo's hero persona to go up. There's no way on this earth that All Might would drop two places. He's too popular and, despite his dip in appearances these last few years, he's still as renown as he was when Keigo was growing up.

"Oh yeah. I mean, if it were based only on cases solved, then Endeavour would have probably beaten All Might when he cut his hours back years ago. But, it's on popularity and presence too, isn't it? I mean, Endeavour's a great hero, but he's not exactly warm, is he?" Fortify shrugs her shoulders, pressing the button for the traffic lights and then rocking back on her heels as they wait for the lights to change. And, well, she's not wrong. Were the rankings based on cases solved, Endeavour would be at the top. Hell, Keigo'd be second right now, what with the drop in cases All Might has completed. But that's not how things work. There's a reason the Number One Hero is literally called 'The Symbol of Peace'. It wouldn't make any sense for him to be anywhere other than top of the shop, the big-I-am.

"I still don't think I'll be going up," Keigo admits, sending out a single feather to corral a child back from the road before they go racing into traffic. The father (tearful, looking stressed; dead wife?) offers him a heartfelt thank you that he calls across the street and Keigo fires off a lazy salute in return.

"Maybe not this year," Fortify agrees, little smile on her lips, "but keep that up, and I'm sure the good will and popularity will continue to build up."

.

They make for Osaka castle, chatting all the way. It's probably incredibly impressive during spring when the cherry blossoms are coming out. It's also probably very packed during that time. It won't be the first time Keigo's taken advantage of the seasons to visit a place normally well-populated and it seems like he's not the only one. Fortify looks around the place with sharp eyes, locking onto a little café nestled off to one corner. Then, she turns to him with a smile, head tilting to the side.

"Hot drink?"

"Mmmm, sounds good."

.

Taking a seat on the large wall surrounding the castle, Keigo blows across the surface of his coffee, inhaling the sharp, rich scents. A few dozen tourists are scattered about on the grounds below, all wrapped up in their coats and jackets, pointing and photographing the castle from a variety of angles. Beside him, Fortify inhales deeply, her own hot drink clutched in gloved fingers, hovering just beneath her nose. He watches the steam rise in soft rolls, kissing at the underside of her chin as Fortify continues to look out over the grounds.

"Why a date?" It's something that's been spinning over in his mind ever since she asked. There's the possibility that she's doing it for the run up to the Rankings, but that'd never left. It'd only result in a sharp, harsh fall next year if Japan figured out she'd been stringing him along, aiming to boos her own popularity. Besides, it's not like she's publicly reported any of their meet-ups prior to this.

"You're thoughtful," Fortify admits, setting her half-drunk cup on the side of the wall, legs swinging back and forth. She angles her head up to the sky, squinting at the cloud-covered sun. "Finding out that I liked koi fish and then getting me one for my birthday. I guess I kind of sat up and took notice at that point, and I realised I liked you. The whole easy-going, teasing personality, your dream of a world where there's not so much work for a heroes, a place where society doesn't create as many villains as the present does… It helps that you're easy on the eyes too!"

Keigo laughs along side her as she says that, a grin finding its way onto his face.

"If I'd known you wanted me only for my body, I wouldn't have bothered with the in-depth discussion on the future of hero society," Keigo jokes, one finger pointed her way, thumb up as downs another mouthful of coffee. People are starting to notice now, though it's a surprise they've gone this long without being spotted. Well, him anyway. Not that Fortify won't experience the same problem once she's made it big, which he's relatively sure she'll manage in the Rankings this year. She isn't exactly a quiet hero, certainly not underground. That particular shade of hair isn't common, nor is the fact she's got more than just Japanese ancestry. It'll make her stand out. Not more than he does with his wings, but recognisable enough.

"Come'on, I'm not shallow enough to just want you for your body! I like our discussions. If I was looking for a quick fling, I'd have probably tried to avoid someone so eye-catching." She goes to poke at his wing, aborting the motion at the least second. She's a tactile person then, he'd had his suspicions, but it's nice to have some solid evidence to back it up.

"Want to attend a lecture on it?"

"A lecture? On what?"

Keigo grins, downing the rest of his coffee launching it for the nearby bin. It drops in smoothly, Fortify letting out a long, low whistle at the sight.

"On hero society and the ways it can be expected to change in the future. I've got a standing invitation to pop into Seinangakuin University-" He saved forty-seven students from chemical burns when a fault had occurred in the science department, no big deal. "-and I'm sure they won't mind me bringing a plus one." He likes listening in, even if half the time it's just a feather in the room as he sits on the roof and watches for trouble; it's enough for him to listen to the lectures and debates.

"Huh. The last two guys I went on dates with invited me to the gym." And were undoubtedly very embarrassed when she beat them on all the weights. Keigo's seen those muscles that she keeps under the skin-tight hero-suit. There's no way anyone other than another hero would be able to keep up, they'd have no chance if they were using quirks. He'd seen the footage; she'd caught a bus full of people before it ended up going off a bridge three days ago. "But it sounds like fun, just like going back to school. Should I bring a pack-up?" She laughs again, all bright and cheery, finishing off her hot chocolate a moment later.

Keigo takes the moment to wave to the ten or so people that are gathered in the courtyard, pulling a pack of pocky from his coat pocket. He balances one between his teeth, offering the packet to Fortify. Once she's got one between her lips, he throws an arm behind her back, leaning in and posing for the sudden snapshots the little herd of tourists take.

"I think I can stretch to dinner," Keigo muses once he's finished his pocky, waving away the thought. They'll be in his neck of the woods and he's got a good idea of where best to go for lunch.

"Huh, so date one a success then?"

"Well," he starts, rubbing thoughtfully at his chin, "I came for the body, but I'm coming back for the mind."

Fortify slugs him in the arm, thankfully with none of her quirk enchanted strength and he laughs, head thrown back and hands over his belly. It's not a total lie; she's pretty but, like she said herself, the discussions are good. Sharing thoughts with a likeminded person, someone who's had the time and intent to reflect on the status of society, it's nice.

He's still least impressed with the whole spit-take she'd managed to get out of him the day she asked him out though. It's why he leans in, lips wrapping around the pocky that's sticking out of her mouth, a hairsbreadth from their lips actually touching as he snaps it off.

"I'll text you a date!" He calls, chewing fast, retreating to the air as quick as possible. A good thing; her hand near catches his ankle, fingertips grazing his boot and Keigo grins at her. Fortify huffs, then blows him a kiss, and he takes the time to catch it, pretending to fall back before he catches himself.

Mystery with the Hero Commission aside, he does like her. He's looking forwards to their next date. After the Rankings are out of the way, of course.

* * *

**Two more days until we find out if Hawks is okay... right? (Tell me there's no break this week, please tell me there's no break)**

**Anyone picked up a new skill during time-out so far?**

**Tsume  
****xxx**


	14. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

"Young Midoriya!"

Startling and very nearly dropping the freezer on his toes, Izuku snaps his head up and around to look to the approaching hero, a wide smile working its way across his lips.

"A-All Might! Good morning!" Dropping into a quick half-bow, he returns his attention the freezer, feeling the muscles in his arms burn with the strain. But, he has been at it for the past three hours so it's kinda expected. Hell, trying to do what he's doing now nine months ago would have been impossible. He's come on so much since then thanks to Nana-senpai and All Might's help; he might even have an actual chance at the entrance exam! It's… it's only a month away, the thing looms like a beast in the recesses of his mind and Izuku is aware, always aware, of its existence. He's studying, putting in as much work as he possibly can without burning himself out. He, he has to prove that All Might's faith in him is not misplaced, has to prove he's worthy of his trust.

"Are you okay, All Might?"

His elder coughs into a handkerchief which is quickly stuffed in his pocket, the motion too fast for Izuku to tell if there was any blood dotting the fabric. So, probably okay, if a little bloody and not wanting to worry Izuku and Nana-senpai. Because Izuku will report back to Nana-senpai; she asked him too, so he's got no issue doing so. He's helping to look after All Might's health, after all.

"Fine, Young Midoriya, I'm fine. How is your training going?"

.

They take a seat on one of the toppled refrigerators he's in the process of moving, drinking a cup of warming tea from the flask All Might has brought with him and discuss his training. They're in the final leg of it all and All Might thinks it'll only be another five weeks until he can pass on his quirk. The idea of even having a quirk, never mind one the very one that belongs to his lifelong hero, fills Izuku with a boundless energy he hasn't really felt since he was an over-excitable four-year-old waiting for the first hint of a power that'd never arrive. Sure, it'll be cutting it incredibly close to the deadline for the entrance exam, but Izuku's not too bad at flying by the seat of his pants; he's got a quick brain, he's sure he'll manage.

"I have received the date the Hero Rankings take place," All Might suddenly declares, turning that large smile on his and Izuku grins back. The Hero Rankings; god, has it really been a year already? He can't wait to see it; All Might will obviously be their Number One still. In fact, he doubts the top five will change at all. It's under those that'll jostle about, based on what he's been witnessing on Hero Time and all the other news reports. It's not difficult to see who has favourable press right now and who doesn't, to know who's solving the most cases and making the biggest waves.

Nana-senpai probably has a chance of breaking the top twenty, actually. He really hopes she does; that'd be great! She's worked so hard; she definitely deserves it!

"I do agree with you there, Midoriya!" Oh, he'd been muttering again.

Cheeks a furious red, Izuku gulps down the rest of his tea, hastily scrambling for something, anything, to change the topic to. Only, All Might beats him to it.

"What do you know of Hawks?"

"Eh? Hawks?" Shouldn't All Might already have an impression of him? Then again, Izuku's not sure how often the heroes get to talk outside of the Hero Rankings and stuff. Sure, there's Hero Time, but All Might is… well, Izuku can't picture just messaging the man if he were another hero, even the Number Three.

He rattles off his core knowledge of Hawks; how he's the youngest hero to ever reach the top ten, then the top three, how he hadn't been to UA, how he's something of a local legend in his district. Even the bit about the new bullet train upgrades because of him.

"Ah, I see. Young Hawks does seem to be a remarkably good hero!" All Might smiles, the muscles of his cheeks pulling skin across the sharp jolt of his cheekbones. It's… it's not as painful to see his hero like this, not after so much exposure. But it still hurts, if only slightly less. "And… do you think he is a good person?"

A good person? Well, he's a hero and he's put in extra hours (Izuku's read the article that breaks down the number of hours put in by the top ten and he knows Hawks' doing over the expected amount) so clearly he's got a good mindset. And he'd been friendly enough when they met that one time.

"I er, think so? I've not really had chance to talk to him, he is the Number Three hero; maybe you should talk to him at the Hero Rankings? If you're going, that is?" Why would All Might be interest- oh.

Oh, that's right. Nana-senpai went on a date with Hawks, didn't she? Man, this just got awkward.

* * *

_"Papa? When can I tell the world that the best hero is also the bestest dad?" All of five years old, Nana-tan doesn't even reach his hip yet. She stares up with imploring blue eyes and a wobbling, pouty little lip. Oh god, he does so hate to let her down. _

_…_

_Nana is eleven and off with Nighteye. They're at one of those rentable halls, the ones where you can practice your quirk if you've got permission from a doctor and a responsible adult who'll accept any injuries that occur during practice are entirely their fault. It should be him taking her. But there's always the slightest chance that the disguise will slip, that he'll be exposed as All Might and if anyone sees Nana practicing with her quirk, then it'll be the end of the secret. _

_…_

_"I'm thinking once I've hit the Hero Billboard charts, that, maybe, we could tell people?" Nana's standing by his bedside, a pained grimace on her face as he sits up. The sheer effort it takes; it hurts. Hurts to have to get up, hurts to have to move. But the bastard is gone. There's no way he survived that. All for One is no more and Nana… his precious Nana-tan is safe._

_"Sounds good, Nana-tan."_

…

"You, you don't want to tell anyone?" Has he stepped into the twilight zone?

In her own hero costume, Nana adjusts the sit of the ponytail on her head, meeting his eyes through the mirror as she smooths down the folds of her cape. It's the same almost off-white shade that his master's had been. He'd had no design input there; Nana had picked the colour herself and it'd been like a punch to the gut when he'd seen her in it the first time.

"Of course, I do!" Nana jumps in, both hands up and fingers spread wide, as if she can physically stop his mind from tumbling down those thought trails. "I've always wanted to tell the world, to scream it from the rooftops that I've got the best dad in the world!" She spins on her heels now, shooting him a thumbs up with a beaming smile. A smile that slowly lessens, until it's only a trickle of a upward curve, her eyes sliding away from his to look near enough over her shoulder. "It's just that… well, it doesn't feel right telling the world when there are other people in my life I can trust who I haven't told beforehand. Like Kaoruko-chan… and, I'd feel kind of bad blurting it out when I've only just sort of maybestartedseeingHawks."

Ah.

Rubbing at the back of his neck and not entirely sure what to say in that respect (announcing your child to the world when you're its greatest hero and the repercussions that can follow hadn't exactly been in any of the parenting books he'd read… maybe he should write one?), Toshinori drums up a comforting smile instead. He places both hands on his baby girl's shoulders, waiting until she looks up and meets his eyes with the same hopeful smile she's always had.

"This is as much your secret as it is mine, Nana-tan. I'm finally ready now that I dealt with All for One. But, if you want to wait a bit longer, I can manage."

"Right. Of course. Thanks, Dad."

* * *

It's weird, being here at the Rankings. Officially, that is. She'd been invited to the actual event because she was one of the 'quick climbers' this year. Twenty-First? Yeah, she'll take that. And now they're going they're down to the last five; she can't see any of the names changing.

Wiggling about on her stool, Nana plants her chin in her palm, her elbow on her knee, other foot tapping at the floor as she waits. She knows Dad'll be coming in last, that he'll be in a separate room without One for All active until it's needed; no need to burn energy he hasn't' exactly got to spare.

"So, you've done well for yourself, Miss Twenty-First."

She snorts. Nana's not proud of it, but the sudden address takes her by surprise.

Scrubbing a hand down the side of her face, she turns to find Mt. Lady lounging in the chair next to her, a grin on her face as she wiggles her eyebrows.

"Thank you. Thirty-Eight for a first time is hardly anything to sniff at either," Nana replies, pushing down the anxiety that suddenly rises. All the people will have Hero Time and more than a few of them will have probably seen the pictures of her date with Hawks. She's been aware that others will judge her for it, had comforted herself with the notion that, if she really wanted to use a Pro to get higher in the rankings, she had a bigger fish to show off than a single date with the Number Three. Still, for it to be brought up-

"Ah, if I had your quirk, I get I could have got higher than Thirty-Eight," Mt. Lady continues, utterly derailing the train of thought Nana had going on, one forefinger and thumb rubbing at her chin as she contemplates a world where she'd been born with Nana's quirk. "I mean, I would change my quirk for the world, but a little more speed would've helped me solve a few more cases. It's great to see more girls breaking into the Rankings like us. I mean, we've got Mirko and Ryukyu have both climbed today; Ryukyu even got Number Nine. But it'd be so amazing to get more girls in the top Ten other than those two!" With her fists clenched and a determined grin on her face, Mt. Lady turns bright eyes on her and Nana finds herself returning the gesture.

"Hell yeah, it would. I'm gonna be the best hero I can be, but it'd be great to have more women in the top ten. Girls can do it well too, and all that!"

.

Once the whole show and dance of the Rankings is over and the cameras recording the footage are turned off, Nana has a new number in her phone and a picture of herself and Mt. Lady up on Hero Time, celebrating their first entry into the Billboard Ranking. Making a friend had been a, pleasant surprise. Certainly, different to what she'd been expecting to happen at this particular yearly Ranking. A year ago… well, a year ago, she and Dad had agreed they'd pop the lid on the secret. With All for One defeated, with Dad due to retire within the next year or two, it'd seemed the logical conclusion.

For years, Nana had day-dreamed about her ranking being announced, dream of her dad standing on the stage as he's announced Number One yet again and he'd say 'that's my Nana-tan!'. And yet, that's not what's gone down.

It's funny how life changes things, isn't it?

Something bright and red brushes up against the undersize of her lip and Nana snatches it from the air. A feather?

"Congrats on Twenty-One," Hawks chirps, giving one of her bangs a gentle tug and Nana twists around to face him. As predicted, he was Number Three yet again; she supposes after a few years, it gets a bit repetitive.

"Thank you, Mr Number Three, Sir. Does this mean you're gonna treat your kohai to a celebratory dinner?"

"Hummm, I don't know," he muses, rubbing at his chin, looking up to the sky as if he's actually having to think about it. The glint of mischief in his eyes is giving him away though; a few people are stopping to watch. "You see, I've been on a date with this girl I actually quite like and I don't want her getting jealous."

What. A. Dork.

Fighting back a grin, Nana shifts her weight to her other foot so she can plant one hand on her hip. "I'm sure she'll understand you're just being a good hero-senpai to the fresh meat."

Hawks does grin, dropping his hands back into his pockets as his eyebrows arch, staring right at her. "Seriously though, how's Friday for that date we discussed last time?"

"Friday's perfect." And it is. She's not on shift, a day off she'd been planning to spend with Izuku but she'd not actually told her little kohai that. She can catch up with him the next day. Ducking a little, Nana plants a light kiss on Hawks' cheek, laughing when he zips in to give her one in return.

"Meet me at the main entrance at ten, Castle Girl." And then he's gone in a flash of red wings, leaving through the open skylights.

Nana stands there for a moment, admiring the night's sky above them, even if the light pollution means only the moon is visible on the dark canvas, before she laughs. It might not be over yet, but this year has been such a good one; she's got high hopes for the next one. But first, some sleep. She spins on heels, making for the main exit.

And very nearly collides head-first with Endeavor.

* * *

**I've made the executive decision that Hawks is a'okay and no one will convince me otherwise. **

**Tsume  
****xxx**


	15. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

Endeavor is tall. Now, Nana's not unused to tall people, what with the height her own father can boast, nor are either of his former sidekicks exactly short in stature. But there's something about how close she is to the Number Two hero and just how… imposing the fire is.

Tilting her head back to meet his gaze (huh, blue eyes too), Nana puts on her best grin, rubbing sheepishly at the back of her head.

"Sorry. I'll try to watch where I'm going from now on." She forces down the instinct to offer a thumbs up at the end of her sentence, dialling down what she knows is an admittedly blinding smile when there's no response. Endeavour is staring at her and looking rather like he's been hit over the head blunt force with a hammer. Or, whatever the equivalent impact for a hero of his stature would be. But, if he's in such a dazed haze-

"Er, Endeavour-san? Can I get your autograph for my little kohai while I'm here?"

.

She'd managed to get the autograph, even if the other hero had signed it in a near stupefied state. Nana's relatively worried over just what is wrong with the man (because if he'd left the stove on at home or something, shouldn't he be racing home to sort it out?), but not enough to halt her after Ranking plans.

She's got a celebratory dinner with dad to get to now.

* * *

"You know, when you invited me out, this-" Fortify cuts off, firing three quick punches and obliterating the glass monsters with startling ease, ponytail whipping through the air from the blowback. "-this wasn't how I was expecting our date to go."

Yeah, well, it's not exactly how Keigo had been expecting to spend his time either. They'd gotten half-way through their lecture before both their phones had gone off at the same time. A villain had rocked up outside the university with an interesting quirk that allowed him to shape and control glass. Which wouldn't be such a large problem if the university didn't have sixteen different glass buildings. That he'd apparently been thoughtful enough to visit the nearest skyscraper and steal all the metal from there only added to the irksome quality of this fellow.

Which brings them nicely to the present; both of them covered in glass shards, clothed in their civvies and still looking for the villain. Admittedly, it has only been a minute since they arrived on the scene but there's no clue what their enemy wants, nor where he is. He's already got several small feathers combing the area for a person who isn't fleeing the scene, but with the hero-watches and police on standby, he's had two false positives so far. Juggling that between getting the remaining civilians free and cutting through the small army of glass creatures isn't beyond him, but neither is it easy. Luckily enough, having no costume doesn't appear to impair Fortify at all, even if the sleeve of her jumper seems to have torn off from the force of that punch.

"At least we'll work up an appetite," Keigo muses, wings cutting through the air and lifting him from the ground. He's got a feather in each hand, the long kind that he can handle like a pair of twin blades. Then, he's off, spinning and twisting, weaving through the masses of monsters for a breath or two, cutting and slicing. For all that they're made of glass, they're not the hard type, shattering easily under his attacks. It would make things so much easier if they won't reform afterwards though.

"Hawks? Can you get everyone off the north side of the street about a half-mile down?!" There another bang as Fortify takes one of the bigger glass creations down, hastily backing away as the shards fall like rain. Some are already starting to come back together before they hit the floor. Tch, they need to find the one in control and quick. There has to be a limit to the quirk itself, something to do with distance or time or, if they're lucky, both.

For the moment, he turns his attention to Fortify's request, feathers scattering until he's at about half a wing's worth on each. Retreating until Fortify is between him and the rest of the glass creatures, Keigo lets his eyes slip closed, focusing. Ten, sixteen, twenty-eight, forty-ten, fifty-six, fifty-seven.

"I've got them all!" Dragged through the air and deposited on a side street as gently as he can, but there's no one on the north side of the street three-quarts of a mile now. Hey, it's better to overestimate then underestimate when it comes civilian lives.

"Thanks!" Fortify takes a step forwards, draws her arm back and there's a sudden increase of pressure. A moment later, the force of her punch tears down the street, destroying the three feathers Keigo hadn't quite managed to get out of range and obliterating every last glass creation in one fell swoop.

Which, holy fuck. That's one hell of a punch.

Better yet, not all the glass monsters are getting up, only five or so. Right, their enemy can only create five at a time, though they've not yet got an idea of just how many he can control. Not that they need to because-

All but those three destroyed feathers come racing back to him, reattaching and Keigo takes to the sky, shooting towards the building two streets over. A woosh of displaced air and a quick glance over his shoulder in response; Fortify's leapt up and is bouncing from one building to the other, following.

A second later, Keigo has their villain pinned to the floor of the roof, One long feather pressing teasingly to the skin of his neck, two small ones pinning his wrists in position.

"You know," Fortify starts, her cute over-sized jumper now in tatters, hints of a clearly reinforced sports bra poking through, "it's a good thing this guy's quirk is glass control. Otherwise that punch would've shattered all the windows nearby."

Yeah, the less collateral damage is for the better.

.

He hands their villain over to the police while Fortify disappears into the university, no doubt hunting for a new shirt. She emerges with a university hoodie just as the press descend on their location, swarming like insects and Keigo really isn't the type of bird that eats them. Give him chicken any day of the week. Speaking of-

"I'm afraid we're not officially on duty, so you'll have to wait for an official press release tomorrow morning." Honestly, performing when not official clocked on is more trouble that it's worth, now he'll have to organise a statement on what happened, given he's the senior hero here.

"It's a shame about the lecture," Fortify mutters as she closes the distance between them, hair falling down in front of her shoulders as she gently runs a comb through it, carefully removing the tiny shards of glass. "It was interesting, even if we only covered the part about All current heroes and their impact on society as a whole."

"I guess we'll just have to make another date of it then," he decides, wrapping an arm around her waist and reeling Fortify in. She blinks, frozen for a half second before she tips her head towards him, one hand coming up to flash the peace sign to the reporters that are already going crazy, cameras flashing with increasing fervour.

"I suppose it will give me time to digest what we've already heard."

"Ah, and speaking of digestion, I did say I'd be able to stretch to dinner."

.

They escape the flock of reports with the ever-helpful presence of the police, ducking out and around the back of a van. Fortify ties her hair back, a low ponytail as opposed to her high 'I mean business' do that usually accompanies her hero outfit. Speaking of-

"Does your clothes usually get destroyed like that?" He muses, gesturing to the small tote bag (also stamped with the university label) that contains the last shreds of her jumper. It's hardly unusual; there's plenty of quirks out there that obliterate clothing when activated, but they're normally the transformative ones. Or the fire quirks, they're never kind to any kind of fabric that isn't fireproof. Ah, he's quite lucky to have a quirk that only means his clothes need a slight adjustment for the eye-catching feathers.

"Yeah. I've got a specialist who makes my super-suits and some other stuff, but they're not always…" Fortify trails off, sucking in her lower lip before releasing it with a pop. "Cute."

That draws a laugh from him, wings flexing as he lifts his hands to meet behind his head. "I need everything custom made, but style is never a problem."

"Yeah, yeah. Rub it in, Bird Boy."

"Aw, you jealous, Castle Girl?"

Fortify scoffs, following him as Keigo leads her into one of the tower restaurants. He offers the receptionist a small salute, striding up to the desk and firing a friendly grin to the small family waiting by the elevator.

"Hawks-sama!"

"Hey there. Me and Fortify are looking for a bite to eat, you got any private booths going?"

"I- yes! One in the Korean eatery, two in the traditional Japanese. One of those has a window seat." A window seat is his favourite but it'd be polite to allow Fortify a choice in it all. Turning to the woman in question, Keigo lifts a single brow, watching a smile slowly edge its way across her lips. There're three cuts on her cheek and a graze along the jawline from their fight with the glass villain, but it doesn't detract from the fact she's quite pretty when she smiles.

"The window seat sounds great to me."

"What's that saying?" Keigo muses, planting his chin between thumb and finger, rubbing at his jawline in a mocking thinker's position. "Ah, that's right. Great minds think alike."

Instead of the expected grumble over having herself compared to him, Fortify grins again, ruffling the bangs that frame her face. "I'm flattered you think that." Huh.

.

The Japanese restaurant is up on the fifth floor and there's no young kids about, thankfully. Not to say that Keigo doesn't like signing autographs but he is kind of on a date here. A date that's already been interrupted once and he'd rather not let it happen again. They order a few bowls to share, two small plates each and Fortify is quick to free her chopsticks from their wrapping.

There's a muted TV over by the unofficial kids' corner, showing shakily captured mobile phone footage of their escapades with the glass villain. There's also an aerial shot that managed to capture the extent of Fortify's punch; for a quick glance, he'd say she was right on the money with a guess of half a mile. Then again, if Keigo had such a destructive quirk, he'd have trained relentlessly to be able to control it so finely too. Hell, he's done that with his own quirk. He knows exactly how much iron-clad control would be needed to make that kind of estimate. Not that she'd have been able to knock all those creatures out without him. That's how things are; he's better at filling the support roll when he'd working alongside a powerhouse; it's hardly been the first time. In most incidences, however, he normally ends up saving the civilians, clearing the area, and taking down the big bad on his own. It's not bragging; he's just that quick.

"We make a pretty good team, right?" Keigo hums, watching the footage pan out and return to the news reporter. There are subtitles, but he can't be bothered reading it all; someone will have the general gist of it for him when he gets back to the office.

"Yeah. It was nice to go all out without. Normally, I can't in a crowded place like that. Open, flat land where I can see everything in the blast zone? Yes. Inner city fights… well, it doesn't normally happen." Fortify grins, some tempura balanced between her chopsticks, ready to be eaten as she finished speaking. Keigo helps himself to some yakitori, chewing thoughtfully as he dissects the day.

He's now certain that Fortify isn't in this for the publicity. She hadn't wanted to stick around with the reporters and he'd been the one to approach her at the Rankings event. She's never actually posted anything on Hero Time featuring him and hasn't mentioned their friendship in the handful of interviews she's done since they met.

"What's going through your pretty head, Hawks?" Pretty huh?

"Just thinking how you've not made a big deal of the whole dating thing."

Fortify blinks, once and slow, before she asks, "do you want me to?" There's a pause, followed by a slow smirk making its way across her face and oh. That's more attractive than the smile earlier. "I mean, I can, if you want to. But I didn't want you to get the idea I'm using you for publicity. I, I really do like you, you know?"

"Yeah, I kinda discarded that thought." No need to tell her he's only just cemented his decision mere moments ago, it still rings true.

"Besides, if I wanted to ride off someone else's popularity, I had higher options than you. No offense, Hawks."

"Higher options than me?" Keigo repeats, pressing a hand over his heart and slumping back against the chair, as if mortally wounded by her words alone. He knocks one of his feet against hers under the table, purposefully. It's a bad move though; she traps his foot between her shins and gives him only a pleasant smile when he tries to retrieve it. "I'll have you know no one can get higher than me." A flutter of the wings accompanies his words and Fortify grins, popping a piece of tamagoyaki between her lips. She chews for a moment and Keigo takes the opportunity to fill his own face, waiting for her comeback.

Finally, she speaks. "Well, I could have asked my dad to promote me. Hell, we were gonna tell everyone at the Rankings but then we kinda started dating and I figured it'd be rude to tell the whole world before my friends and, well, you found out."

Famous dad- higher in the rankings than him- Boss lady allowing it- familiar blue eyes and a startlingly similar quirk-

_Oh._

* * *

**Ta-da!**

**Tsume  
****xxx**


	16. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

"Your dad is-"

"Yep."

"And it's a secret?"

"Yeah. We were gonna tell at my first Ranking, but the situation changed."

"How so?"

"Well, I snagged a boy and I thought it wouldn't be polite for him to find out at the same time as the rest of the world."

"…Ah."

* * *

'_Thanks for the presents, Babe_'

Hawks' posing in the photo, peace sign held up and a birthday hat balanced slightly off centre. There're a few sidekicks mulling about in the background by the giant helium '22' balloons, all with slices of red cake on a plate. It's the same shade as the feather printed onto his shirt, right below the cursive of '_I work fast so you can take it slow_'.

How apt.

Now, all she needs to do is make sure all the towers fall correctly when their Number One retires for his health.

They have trained Hawks well.

* * *

He's dating All Might's daughter. That's, that's something and he's still wrapping his head around it. Certainly, it explains a few things. Reassuring; she's never been in this for publicity because if she wanted that, all she'd have to do is share the family tree and that'd whip up a press frenzy worse than when he'd slid neatly into the Top Ten in his first year. It also explains why she's not asked after his actual name. All Might has, over his entire career, never once shared what his given name is. While he knows Fortify as Nana (has even been invited to use her name freely now), he's pleased to know she doesn't expect the same thing from him. He's left Takami Keigo behind, after all. To the world, he's Hawks. It's what he's become in order to shine half as bright as that man.

He's also a man with the night of New Year's Eve off which is why he's in Minato, checking his phone and the address on it one last time before he knocks. Because he's a massive snoop and knows how to use the training he was given, it hadn't taken much to figure out he wasn't the only one with a night off. And bonus, All Might is out pulling a shift so that means unless Nana's out and about with friends, then she's probably free.

He knocks on the door, memorising the apartment number for later reference.

"Man, am I glad you're in. I'd have struggled to eat all this by myself," Keigo declares, lifting the takeout bags and shimmying them about slightly in the space between them.

Smiling, Nana leans against her doorframe, arms folded over her chest and looking remarkably dressed down for New Years Eve. No plans at all to go out then.

"I don't think you'd struggle eating all that, but I'm happy to help." Having finished her observations, Nana steps back and away from her door, gesturing for him to go in.

It's a cosy little apartment; open plan barring what he assumes to be the bedroom and the bathroom and with a little balcony area that he'd have no problems launching himself from. It's not as big as his but there are very few people their age making as much money as he is. The TV is on pause, an old nature documentary from the looks of it.

"Not that I'm upset that you're here," Nana calls from the kitchen, reappearing with a set of plates and cutlery, "but what brings you here, stranger?"

"It's New Years Eve. The first one that I've got someone to share it with anyway." Nana's face goes soft. It's almost remarkable how smoothly it transitions from light and teasing to that warm smile and gentle curve of her eyebrows. He can't help but continue. "Besides, I've heard it's good luck when the first thing you look at in the New Year is beautiful. Sets the tone, you know?"

"Now you're just being charming."

"Maybe," Keigo agrees, taking a seat on the sofa and spreading his wings out as best he can. He can manage a full stretch with the right, but the left would meet wall if he tried it, so he half tucks them behind him, half throws them over the sofa's back. It's been a while since he'd visiting another place long enough to stop and be forced to appreciate how well his own custom-made furniture accounts for his wings.

"And just what did you bring?" Nana asks, taking a seat beside him, close but with just a little distance between them and, well, he can't be having that, can he?

Keigo shuffles up until their thighs are brushing against each other, three feathers effortlessly working to open the takeout boxes and arrange everything onto their plates.

"Italian; pizza and some pasta roll things that are absolutely amazing. I mean, it's not chicken strippers, but then again, what is?" Lips press up against his cheek and Keigo turns just a little too late to catch them with his own, Nana already pulling a slice of pizza free from between its brothers.

"This is really sweet. Thanks, Hawks."

.

They go out and sit on the railings as the countdown begins to sound out. Nana starts when there's ten seconds left, Keigo joins in when there's seven remaining. Nana twists her torso around to grin at him when they get to five and he finds himself grinning back at four. He catches her hand at three and she waves to the neighbours at two.

He kisses her a second earlier than he should. He can't help it; Nana is a hot piece of ass, they fall into conversation near effortlessly and she's so, warm. The surprised gasp against his lips is worth it and he sucks on her upper lip just a little. A second into the new year, he pulls back, meeting Nana's eyes before flicking his own off to a side. She follows, finding his phone and the two feathers supporting it just in front of them.

At three seconds into the new year, he has his first piece of photographic evidence that they spent a holiday with each other.

* * *

**Senpai:  
**Happy new year, my cute little kohai! xx

.

Izuku smiles down at the message Nana's sent him, the happiness of seeing it eclipsed only by the fact All Might had sent him a 'happy new year' text too.

Opening up Hero Time, he finds Nana in the feature picture on the homepage; she's on a balcony alongside Hawks, both of them smiling at the camera. He can't see much of the background beyond the railings they're sitting on with the way Hawks has spread out his wings. It's a pretty effective way of hiding a location but still sharing events on social media; another thing Izuku will have to think about when he becomes a pro. Written in what he assumes is Hawks' handwriting (Nana's is very pretty and uniformed; this one is not), is a quick 'Happy New Year everybody!' message. It's accompanied by a very quick drawing of a little castle with wings- oh, of course. Fortify can be used to describe preparing a defensive structure for battle and a castle is certainly a defensive structure.

It reminds him that he hasn't asked Nana about her superhero name yet. And he needs an idea; the entrance exams are only a fortnight away and, should all go well, he'll be a UA student then. Having a name in mind can only help him.

Closing Hero Time, Izuku opens his messages, selecting 'Senpai'.

.

**Izuku:  
**Thank you, Nana-senpai! Happy New Year to you too!

* * *

"One more day, are you all ready? Dad gave you the thing yesterday, right?"

The head between her hands nods and Nana squeezes Izuku's shoulders a little bit, half to encourage, half to test the muscles there. He's certainly come along from the little noodle-armed boy she'd met on a junkyard of a beach. Now, they're standing on a clean, crisp tourist attraction and it's all down to Izuku's hard work.

Her cute little kohai shivers and Nana pulls the thick wad of his scarf up a little bit until his chin is neatly tucked behind it.

"Yeah. I got it. But, I haven't used it and you said it broke your bones and whatifIbreakallmybonesbeforeIcanfinishthetestandIfailand-"

"Woah there, motor-mouth." She's got a hand planted over his lips, muffling the muttering that's going on until Izuku registers her words and stops. Only when she can't feel the outpour of words against the palm of her hand does Nana remove it, squatting ever so slightly so their faces are level with one another. Both her hands are back on his shoulders and she considers Izuku for a second before a grin breaks out across her face.

"I'm not gonna lie to you, 'Zuku. Chances are good you'll probably hurt yourself when you use it. If One for All works anything like the power of my quirk, it'll feel like you could break open the moon when you've got it fully active. But do not, under any circumstances, just go right for it. Think of it like a tap; you need control. Just start with just a trickle at first. And even then, try to spread that trickle out around your body. If you send it all to your arm, well…"

"Snap, right?" Izuku asks, a grimace on his face, and head slowly sinking into his shoulders. Nana gathers a handful of his wild curls and gently pulls his head back from its weak retreat towards his torso.

"Yeah, probably snap. I kinda thought about it like a frying pan. If you throw a lump of butter in and let it melt only in that one particular spot, then when you cook the omelette, it'll all go wrong where there's no butter, got it? Spreading it out took better care of the omelette. Oh, it wasn't the only factor, but ignoring it was a sure-fire way to ensure disaster. Got it?"

"Got it… Thanks, Nana-senpai."

Nana swoops in, scooping Izuku up into a hug and spinning the two of them around. He's just too cute and she's getting rather used to being a senpai. Hell, maybe in Izuku's second year she can take on some sidekicks? She should have enough experience for it to be worth their while by then, right?

Planting the teenager back on his own two feet, Nana ruffles his hair, grinning again until Izuku returns to expression.

"You're gonna be fine, Izuku. Dad has full faith in you and so do I. So, don't sweat it, alright? Go in there with full confidence and all you gotta do is think 'I am here and I will be a hero'!"

"Ri-right! I will! Thanks, Nana-senpai!"

* * *

**Hawtify  
****_Does Japan have its first big hero couple in decades?_**

_Anyone with access to Hero Time will have noticed by now two faces popping up again and again in close proximity with one another. There had been what looked like a quaint little date by Osaka Castle, then sources spotted the duo chatting at the Billboard Rankings. Digging a little further back into Hero Time history will unearth a race between the Winged Hero and 'Minato's Best Girl', and who can forget that team-up against a villain with a hyalokinesis quirk. _

_The most recent picture shared by Number Three Hero Hawks cements it though. Spending New Years together (and is that a bitten lip we spy, Miss Fortify?) can only mean one thing. These two must be a couple._

_While there has been on official statement, we eagle-eyed hero fanatics can pick apart the clues. It's clear enough that Hawks has found someone special in his life given his birthday celebrations; what else could a grateful post addressed only to 'Babe' mean? And here at HeroGoss, we're relatively sure that said significant other is none other than up and coming hero, Fortify. _

_Twenty-first in Japan's most recent Billboard charts is nothing to sneeze at and she's certainly got the power to back up that new spot. But, given the first Hero Time post to feature both heroes, it can be safely concluded that it was Fortify's surprising speed that caught the attention of Japan's quickest hero to hit the Top Three. The question is, just what has kept Hawks (near notorious for his, well, empty dating history) coming back for more? Turn to page seven for three expert opinions…_

* * *

**I guess this is kinda a transition chapter between 'pre-series' and 'series' I'm kinda labelling the second bit as 'pre-All Might retirement' in my head, so, you can probably assume when abouts part two will finish up in regard to key events.**

**Tsume  
****xxx**


	17. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

** bestleanist:** Thoughts on Hawtify, go.

** pop_step_up:** I think they're a cute couple! Wish I could find someone who'd look so happy next to me!

** iceicelady: **They met when visiting one of Hawks' local schools; I think that's commendable.

** constrict_compress:** funny how the relationship turned up just as the Rankings were happening though.

** pop_step_up:** you can't be serious. They went public after the Rankings.

** constrict_compress: **always next year.

** hawksishawthawthawt: **she doesnt deserve him! Hawks is far to good 4 her!

** iceicelady: **That's the wrong *to*. It should be too.

** fiercewings_fiercefeelings:** I agree! Hawks has never dated before, what makes her so special?!

* * *

"Nana-senpai?"

Humming, Nana snaps her phone closed, giving Izuku her full attention. He's in a loose tracksuit, a mint green and looks half a second from his skeleton vibrating right out of his skin. That or being sick. Either option is just as gross as the other.

"Yes, young beansprout?"

"Beansprout?" Izuku parrots, puzzlement overtaking his features before he shook himself, throwing off whatever influx of questions he'd just had in favour of continuing with his original inquiry. "How do you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Ignore it."

"Again, ignore what, my cute little kohai?"

Izuku huffs, utterly unable to hide his smile behind his rising shoulders. "The media," he answers, continuing in a small voice, "and all the reactions. I, I don't know if you've been reading some of the stuff online but…it's… well…" Ah.

Yes, she's well aware of just what is being said online. Some of it is undeniably supportive, some of it… not so much. Nana's aware, she's been looking, as have her small team. It's not like the public opinion will strike her dead if it's unflattering, but it's also important to know how much trust the population has in you. But-

"Public opinion's forever changing, 'Zuku. You'll have some classes in your second year all about it, how to swing it in your favour and, most importantly, how to not let it impact on you emotionally. At least, not massively anyway. The thing is, by becoming a hero, you end up in the limelight and your every action will be dissected. Because you're famous, people will think they have a right to scrutinize you. What's important is that, as long as you're happy with what you're doing, then you can ignore whatever the rest of the world are saying. Having a few close friends can help things as well." Lord knows she'd be lost without Kaoruko-chan.

Her cute little kohai nods, turning to look at the entrance to UA's testing facility, green eyes going big and round. Nana plants both hands on his shoulders, digging her thumbs into the scapulae just enough to relieve some pressure.

"You've got this, kohai. I believe in you; Dad believes in you; you just gotta believe in yourself. Go in there and show them why you've got the Symbol of Peace in your corner. Just, like, don't say it aloud, okay?"

"Ri-right! Thanks, Nana-senpai!" And he's off, walking determinedly towards the gates and Nana's lisp quirk up in a smile.

Of course, the little beansprout then proceeds to trip over, near face-planting the floor before there's a timely rescue by a fellow hopeful. Yeah, that's about right. Still, she's got to get over to the office and get changed. She's got a twelve-hour shift starting in forty minutes.

**Hawks:  
**Youve corrupted me Babe I just put a kiss on the end of a text to a sidekick and now theyre all laughing at me x

**Nana:  
**You're sure they're not laughing at your poor punctuation instead? xx

**Hawks:**  
Ha-dee-ha-ha.  
Hows that full stop for you? x

**Nana:**  
You're adorable.  
I'd also like to see your Middle School diploma; I'm seriously doubting you ever graduated now xx

**Hawks:**  
Ha joke's on your because I never went to Middle School! X

Smiling, Nana fires off a quick text to see if they're meeting up tomorrow and then pockets her phone, belatedly registering the vibration that follows the motion. She'll get through her shift, then answer Hawks. As nice as having a… boyfriend is, she is, first and foremost, a hero. Which means patrolling Minato, making sure all is calm and the peace her father has fought so hard for remains unbroken.

Still, it's a good day to be on shift; during the UA entrance exams, most of the staff are present to watch the events. As such, there's less heroes out and about. Not a significant decrease by any means, but some villains do decide to push their luck. Some go the opposite direction and decide to lay low. Some people think the big-time villains do their best to see what new crops the UA teachers are reaping and Nana… well, she's not entirely sure such a thing doesn't happen.

Waving to Saburo as she bounces past the reception desk, Nana, makes for her office. One quick change later and it's time for work.

* * *

**_Hawtify – Japan's new power couple, or a desperate grab for attention?_**

_For those of you who have been living under a rock for the past fortnight, here's the SparkNotes. Hawks, the Winged Hero of Japan and current Number Three, has hooked up with hero newbie, Fortify (Number Twenty-One)_

_Yes, that Hawks. The one known for not having a significant other the entire time he's been in the limelight. _

_While fans of the Fierce-Winged hero desperately scramble to realign their views (and perhaps their life goals, sorry **hawksishawthawthawt**, but we don't think it'll be a summer wedding for you), we dig a little deeper into this sudden new coupling. _

_We'll gloss over just how accomplished Hawks himself is (as if you don't already know, those wings catch more than a dozen admiring eyes daily) and focus in on Fortify. Real name, Yagi Nana, Fortify spent her years after graduating UA working as a sidekick to Gang Orca before going solo last year. That's the backstory of pretty much every fresh hero; get yourself established, collect the funds for an office off your own then, strike out. _

_So, why has Fortify stood out? _

_Well, there's her phenomenal speed for one. If word of mouth is to be believed (as well as that Hero Time post, thank you Hawks-sama), then Hawtify met, they raced, they kept in contact. You only need to join the app to keep up to date on that. _

_But, as fans have pointed out, there could be a darker side to all this._

_While it's well known that Hawks is one of the sharpest feathers out there (see what we did there?), is it possible that he's being used for publicity? Only time will tell. _

_For now though, we have a shiny new couple to enthuse over; let's hope they keep soaring high._

.

"This is great," Keigo muses, wafting the magazine in front of Isako as she frowns right back at him.

Slouched in the comforts of his favourite chair (the low backed one that accommodates for his wings) with his feet up on the coffee table, Keigo launches the magazine towards the bin. It nearly misses. A helpful little red feather nudges it in though. What luck, huh?

"Hawks, are you sure that HeroGoss aren't on to something?"

Keigo blinks, head tilting to a side with that expression he'd practiced in the mirror since he was little. It's the 'plausible deniability' face. The one that's remarkably bird-line but not so alike that's it's uncomfortable. It's most effective when he's got his wings behind his head, but hey, it's good enough. Especially because he oh so rarely cracks it out and, as such, it has yet to lose its effectiveness.

Isako blinks herself, bemusement clear on her face before she forcibly steels herself, shaking her head in order to continue her little, speech? Interrogation? Inquisition? He's not too sure. But, as she's also come up with a bucket of popcorn chicken, he's more than happy to sit through the rant as she works out how to put a spin on this latest article to use it to their advantage. You know, without appearing that they are twisting it to their advantage because Isako is just that good.

"Because they have a bit of a point. I'm not trying to attack Fortify in any way, nor am I questioning your judgement. I just want to check that you have considered this from all viewpoints and not just from, well…"

"The viewpoint where I see her thighs and think 'wow, I'd let to get between them, right?" Keigo chirps, plucking up a handful of chicken and shovelling it into his mouth. Southern fried; naw, his staff do treat him well. "Isako-chan, don't worry about it. I promise that I've considered it from all angles-" including the ones she's not aware of, such as the Hero Commission green-lighting his friendship turned relationship. "-and I promise that Nana-chan isn't in it for the publicity." After all, if she wanted that, she just needed to refer to dear old Dad by his actual relation to her. In public. With, like, maybe three people nearby. It'd be around all of Japan within a half hour. Possibly an hour for those living under rocks.

Isako considers him once more before she nods, that proud little smile spilling across her face.

"Very well. You've not been wrong before, Hawks."

"There's a first time for everything," he points out, one finger tapping against his lips before he grins, lazy and proud. "But it won't be about this. I'm sure. I am, after all, a good judge of character."

"I know. Thank you for meeting with me, Hawks."

Keigo grins, waving the latest handful of chicken around in an unsaid '_thank you for bringing me chicken._' Isako nods, turning on her towering heels and making for the door to his office.

Keigo watches her go for a moment before wiggling his phone free of his pocket. It's been five hours since Nana last replied. Yeah, she's working, he's well aware (the picture have, after all, cropped up on Hero Time) but that doesn't mean she can't stop for a minute to text him back, right?

**Nana:**  
You were home-schooled then? Xx

**Hawks:**  
Something like that. The Hero Commission got me good tutors x

**Nana:**  
Really? Because I've got a list of texts that could be the prosecutions exhibit A if you wanna take them to court over your poor education xx

Smiling, Keigo switches apps, scrolling through. Endeavour has, unsurprisingly, made eleven arrests since starting his shift. In comparison, Nana has taken down one villain, a purse snatcher and has- and has helped rescue a kitten from a tree.

Grinning, Keigo inspects the picture as he takes a snapshot, having already decided on his new lockground. Nana's hanging upside down from a tree, legs wrapped around a thick branch and arms full of kitten that she's handing down to a delighted child. Heh, it's not saving over a hundred people from a burning building in a short clip that will become one of the key highlights of her hero career (naming no names), but… the smile is the same.

He kinda can't believe he didn't see it sooner.

But Nana is a hell of a lot cuter, hanging upside down in a tree and grinning as she's giving a pet back to a child.

**Hawks:**  
Got cat fur on your suit? X

**Nana:**  
You're stalking me now? You can just ask what I'm up to, Bird Boy xx

**Hawks:**  
But you take so long to reply and the pictures get uploaded instantly x

Keigo locks the phone before waking it back up, admiring Nana's smiling face. Huh. Is this a normal couple thing? He's not sure, it's not like he's ever managed a long-term relationship before (does a month mean they're long term now? Does it depend on the people in the relationship? He needs to do some covert research). Which brings him right around to his current issue. What is the Hero Commission's angle? Sure, they'd approved of the friendship, they hinted a relationship wouldn't' be shot down either (and given the fact Boss Lady has yet to fire a 'I'm disappointed in you' phonecall his way, he'd bet they're on board with this too). But that doesn't give him answers.

They're clearly aware Nana is All Might's daughter. They think a close relationship (friendship or otherwise) would be playing to their advantage. The President had implied All Might didn't have many years left as Number One so… so, what? All Might retires, it comes out he has a daughter and Hawks (because that's who he is to the Hero Commission, they don't work with Keigo), by association, is launched higher in the rankings? Endeavor's above him, but… could this be the one tipping point that would see him overtake the Number Two?

Being Number One sounds… daunting.

**Nana:  
**We can't all be the quickest hero alive xx

**Hawks:**  
Oh so when it suits you I'm the quicker one? That stings babe x

**Nana:  
**Want me to kiss it better? (~￣³￣)~ xx

**Hawks:**  
Your emoticons are so ugly.  
I love it x

* * *

**Ta-da. Part II is ago.**

**Tsume  
****xxx**


	18. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

"He passed!"

Keigo leaps out of his skin as Nana suddenly surges up from the sofa, punching the air as the phone in her hand creaks dangerously from the pressure she's applying to it. He takes a moment to let his racing heart settle (and another moment to appreciate the flex of thigh and ass beneath those jeans) before he sends four feathers off to the kitchen, returning with a bottle of champagne and two glasses.

Nana twists on her heels, grinning at him all the while as she flips her phone around. There's a picture of the kid from that day they raced, her little kohai. His eyes are red rimmed and he looks half a second from bursting into tears again, one hand holding up a holographic projector with the words 'you have been accepted' floating in the air.

"I'm so proud of him, I mean, he did break his arm in the test, but he managed to not break his legs from a large jump so that's progress, better than my first attempt with that kind of power to hand and there's every chance Izuku is going be even stronger than me!" Given that Nana is All Might's daughter and her quirk takes the power of her parents and builds on it, that's a relatively terrifying thought.

Collecting the bottle that his feathers deliver to him, Keigo plants the two glass flutes on the coffee table, standing up and presenting Nana with the bottle.

"Wanna see something cool?"

.

Nana insists on filming him the moment he announces he can pop the cork with a feather thrown from across the room. It's not even hard but she makes such a big show and dance of it, oohing and cheering as she records the little trick that it's... charming.

Stomach warm in a way that's only partly to do with the champagne, Keigo flips back onto the sofa, lying across it instead of sitting properly. It's a better angle to see Nana from as she furiously types on her phone with one hand, not quite sipping but not quite draining the bubbly held in her other hand. She must feel the weight of her eyes on him because Nana flicks her own up from her phone, a bashful smile slowly blooming over her face. Then, the phone is gone, the flute is on the coffee table and Nana climbs up onto the sofa to crawl up and over him.

Huh.

"You know what tomorrow is?" Keigo starts, one of his fingers meandering lazily up the smooth skin of her forearm, across the swell of biceps. As he comes to the hut of her collarbone, exposed by the wide neck of her teeshirt, Nana twists her head and catches the edge of his knuckles with a kiss. Keigo shuffles to the edge of the sofa and Nana slips in the space he opens up between himself and the sofa back, arm bent and head supported by her hand.

"Tomorrow is a Tuesday. It's supposed to be sunny, it's a working day," Nana lists, seemingly deciding better of laying with her head up. She abandons her arm support, instead tucking it against her side to shuffle a bit closer to him.

"Tomorrow we're both on shift. But, it's also two months since we went on our first date."

"Mmm, two months of dating," Nana agrees, eyes slipping closed as she blows a quick breath across his neck. Keigo lays there for a moment, poking at the relative nonchalance to her words from the safety of his mind, the background ensemble of champagne bubbles offering a calming white noise. It'd obvious why she's not as affected as him; this is Keigo's first long term relationship. Someone who he's seen more than twice (and not actually had sex with yet so he's in uncharted waters here) and who he actually... talks to. Likes spending time with when they're either doing an activity or just enjoying each other's company, like now. It's odd; perhaps two months isn't a key milestone for others, but it is for him. Years of training, becoming Hawks (leaving Keigo behind) means he's missed out on a lot of things his age mates will have enjoyed. But he's in the process of achieving his goal, of becoming a hero who can shine bright. He wouldn't give up that dream, that idea of making a better world where they can take it slow for a bit, not for anything in the world.

So, to have found this, to know it can fit into his world and offer that taste of normalcy and warmth... it's nice.

So, yeah. Two months.

Keigo flips himself so he's looking down at Nana now, having forcibly wedged one knee between the sofa cushion and her hip. One blue eye cracks open to look at him, a teasing little smile on her face as she waits for him to make up his mind on what to do. He sits up, picks up his flute, and downs the two and a half mouthfuls that remain. Then, his face is right before Nana's, an inch or so between them .

"Two months will be the longest relationship I've ever had. We're both working tomorrow so I wanted to tell you that I think you're an amazing hero." And he does. She's not in it for the fame, just striving to be better, to do better and he can relate to that, can appreciate it.

"An amazing hero, huh? What about a girlfriend?"

"Oh, well as a girlfriend, you're kinda lacking," Keigo decided with a cheeky grin, waggling his eyebrows as Nana paints her face with an expression of mocking disbelief. "Top notch hugs, but there's a startling lack of kisses-"

She kisses him. It's exactly what he'd been angling for and he's quick to reel her in and return the pressure, lips running against hers until a little tongue gets involved. One of Nana's hands is in his hair, the one toying with the hem of his shirt, fingertips dipping under to graze across the skin beneath hand he shivers.

Keigo draws back and Nana follows him up, until they're half laying against the back of the couch and each other, making out as if they have all the time in the world. His nose bumps against hers twice and, at one point, s he breaks away from his lips for a moment to have her own flutter across his jawline, teeth toying with one earring as his hands run up and down her sides.

"Stay the night?"

Nana pauses, slowly peeling her mouth off the lobe of his ear and retreating. Not before pecking a kiss at the edge of his jawline though. She sits back, meeting his gaze, that hand that'd been brushing across his hipbone now toying with the edge of his shirt.

"I'm not ready for sex," she says, brilliant blunt.

"Then we won't have sex," Keigo enunciates his words slowly, keeping eye contact because that goes hand in hand with trust. He lets a grin break out across his face. "But you're now overbalanced on the whole kisses to hugs ratio and I think morning cuddles would even it out perfectly."

"Why do I get the feeling that you'll be telling me I'm hug-heavy in this comparison tomorrow?"

"Because you know I don't pass up on opportunities to get what I want." Nana smiles, reaching for her drink and downs in the rest. He watches her throat move, the overhead light failing to really catch the movement of muscles in a sharp contrast. Against the light grey of his couch, she looks delightfully bright.

"Okay, but I'm stealing your baggiest shirt and some underwear to sleep in."

.

Point twelve on why having a tall girlfriend is the best? Your baggiest shirt only just covers her ass when she's standing still. Any movement or stretch at all and he gets a fantastic view of shapely curves hidden beneath the fabric of his own borrowed underwear.

* * *

Waking up next to someone else isn't exactly something she's well-versed in. It made even more blatant by the fact Hawks is a bed hog.

Nana lays still for a moment, breathing slow and appreciating the way the giant red feathers brush against her with every rise and fall of her breath. Hawks has one arm thrown across her midriff, hugging her close and it's not even worked it's way under her borrowed shirt. Not that Hawks'll have any conscious thought behind it even if it had, given the way he's so clearly asleep. His quiet snores are low and soft, face pressing up against her shoulder and cheek resting on her arm. His torso's twisted so the great expanse of his wings can both flop out, one pretty much covering her, the other disappearing over the edge of his ridiculously big bed. If she had extra limbs as large as these though, she'd have a bloody big bed to compensate too.

She only needs to crane her neck ever so slightly in order to press her lips to Hawks' forehead. Then the side of his temple, cheekbone, cheek. By the time she gets to his lips, he's kissing back, the motion remarkably lazy and unhurried for the fastest hero in Japan. The wing over her body twitches, feathers dusting across her arm and Nana rolls until she's no longer on her back and instead face to face with Hawks. Heavily lidded yellow eyes peer at her face before they close and he's kissing her again.

Yeah, this is the way to wake up.

Nana tucks her head under Hawks, pressing a kiss to the column of neck before she breathes a 'good morning'. No talking face to face until she's had a drink to get rid of the morning breath, thank you very much.

Hawks' low chuckle vibrates under his chest.

"Morning. Already trying to get even on your hugs to kisses ratio?"

"Of course," Nana scoffs, shifting herself free to sit up and scratch at her stomach. She doesn't miss how Hawks hasn't bothered to move his wing any more than absolutely necessary and the feathers are brushing over her things and shins.

"Hey, is that a piercing?" Nana pauses, the hem of Hawks' shirt ruffled around her hand and most certainly exposing her midriff.

"Yes it is, problem?"

"Only with the wait until I get to play with it like you did my earring," Hawks mutters, stretching one hand out. There's a half breath where he gives her the chance to pull away and then his fingers are on her stomach, tracing the dip and curves of her abdominals. Nana tenses and Hawks proceeds to make the most appreciative noise she's ever heard from him. When there's not fried chicken involved, that is.

"Holy fuck. I know you have to be in shape for your quirk, but this is something else." There's a grin and then he's looking up at her from under his lashes. "You should do a work out videos; something like 'All Mighty Abs'."

"If Dad hasn't already trademarked that I'll be very disappointed in him," Nana huffs, snapping off a belly roll just to watch Hawks groan in appreciation.

"And with that, I'm going to get a shower." The wing over her legs leaves as half second before Hawks rolls out of bed, pulling open a draw to rummage through for some clothes. "Feel free to grab some breakfast, I won't be long and you can shower after, Abs." He cocks he head over his shoulder, grinning with his cheeks flustered and Nana can feel her own are a little flushed too.

But... it's nice.

.

The next day, she's at Dad's. They're both sitting up to the kitchen table, wearing matching headbands to keep their bangs back from their face as they pour over the papers in front of them. There's, there's a lot.

She knows teaching is hard work, but she honestly hadn't expected the sheer volume of work that apparently goes into teaching Heroics. From the dazed glaze of his eyes, Dad clearly hadn't been expecting it either.

"Right," Nana begins, going to run a hand through her hair and grunting as she dislodges her headband instead. "Right," she repeats, flicking her eyes over the papers again but it's still as herculean a task as they'd first thought. A second glance hasn't changed anything.

"Maybe start with the first-year curriculum? They've sent you what was used last year, right?" She can do her best to help with what she remembers for her own time there (and from memories where she'd taught, even if her pupils had admitted been under the age of ten. It can't be that different, can it?).

"Yes, first year," Dad repeats, still looking a little wild eyed as he stares down at the documents. "First year will need... an introductory course. Then there's the Sports Festival to practice for..."

"Quick development usually happens on a field trip, but helping them come up with their first super move, maybe?"

"Yes. Yes, that's a good one."

* * *

Half-heartedly chewing on the end of her pen, Nana squints at the third-year curriculum, the skin between her brows pinching ever so slightly. They've been pouring over the work for his new job for the past six hours, pausing only to cook and eat lunch.

Scrubbing a hand down the side of his face, Toshinori sets the completed work aside; he could almost weep now that they're two thirds of the way through. Almost there.

"You don't have to help me with it all, Nana-tan."

His darling daughter blinks, pawing at one eye before she offers up a bright smile. It's the same one she's had since she was a child, only it's now of the face of a mature young woman that he's proud to claim himself the father of. The second she wants to, he's ready to tell the whole world, the present them with his daughter and say that magnificent woman is his child.

"I like helping you. Besides, this is good practice for when I take on an intern in the future," she muses, one close fist held close to her chin as she grins almost manically. It has Toshinori smiling himself, fingers itching for a camera but he pushes the sensation back. If he'd taken a picture of Nana every time he wanted to, he'd be probably be able to fund the photo-paper companies on his lonesome. He's glad for Nana, even as he wistfully recalls his own dreams of someday taking on an intern. It wasn't to be, of course, the closest he'd dared get were daydreams and his two sidekicks. Interns were new, inexperienced. They have been easy targets for All for One. Now that his master has been avenged, Nana can take on all the interns she wants, can teach the next generation. He doesn't doubt she'll do a better job of it than he will.

"Will you be taking one from young Midoriya's year?" She may put in an offer for Midoriya herself; certainly, Nana would be able to help him with the output of One for All. The age-old guilt of knowing his quirk is what caused Nana to break bones at a young age simmers in his gut but he pushes it down. It's just not logical to feel guilty for what quirk she got.

With his genetics, it's a blessing Nana got a quirk at all.

"I don't think so? I mean, when they hit their second year, I'll probably put some offers in. One or two. But I don't think I have the skillset yet to teach them, not without another year to really establish myself as a hero and develop into a dependable character."

As far as Toshinori's concerned, that's more consideration than a few heroes he's heard of have ever undertaken. Again though, that's what makes his precious daughter so great; always thinking ahead, thinking of others. Wanting to be the best hero she can be and, consequently, be capable of helping others with the same goal.

"Dad… is the teaching something you're going to keep up? With Midoriya accepting now having One for All…"

"Even when I run out of fumes," Toshinori muses, placing the latest paper down on the table and scribbling out one of the exercises he doesn't fancy putting the third years through, certain he could come up with something better, "I will still have some wisdom to pass down to the next generation. Or, so I hope." Nana's eyes search his face, silent perusal before she smiles. It's a small thing this time, almost bashful and… proud?

"I'm glad to hear you're planning for the future, Dad."

And oh, the guilt of Nighteye's vision sits heavy where his stomach used to be but he cannot cough it up, cannot even broach the subject of his potential death.

Nana-tan is an adult, a young woman who's more than capable of looking after herself. But he wants to see it all, to see her continue to grow, to witness her wise through the ranks. He wants to see the key moments in her career, wants to buy the dolls that'll get made and point to the posters in the streets from now and say 'that's my daughter'.

"From the moment I held you in my arms, the plan was always to watch you grow." In order to do that, he had to defeat All for One; now that's done, all his worries can be Nana-centric now.

Nana who is smiling at him as she can't believe her luck.

"You're like, the best dad in the world, you know that, right? When you retire, you should write parenting book. I don't even care if you use pictures from when I was a kid or anything. Any kid that gets raised half as similar to how I was would be lucky as hell."

Nana, who he'd raised in secrecy. Nana who's had her dad attend her school assemblies in disguise, or who'd only been able to see Sorahiko in the audience because the old man was recording it for his no-good student. If he had just been a normal citizen, then he'd have been able to attend it all. He'd have been able to walk Nana to the class door and send her in with a kiss and call to have a nice day. He'd have been able to go to all the parents' evenings as himself instead of in the most horrendous disguise. Nana would have been able to tell her classmates all about her Dad instead of having to keep her mouth shut.

But, if he'd been a normal person, he might not have ever gone to America. He might not have ever met Selene. Then there'd be no Nana at all.

"Maybe," he says instead of voicing all those thoughts, prompting a frown to appear on Nana's face.

The harsh vibration of a phone breaks through their conversation, Nana snapping up the device and clicking away on the screen.

"Anything important?"

"Just the Bird texting that he's off duty now," Nana muses, thumbs flashing across the surface of her phone as she replies. Toshinori's smile falters ever so slightly, even though he has absolutely no right to. Nana's a grown woman now and he should have absolutely no problem with her building a life of her own.

But he doesn't know this boy.

Sure, he has heard for Hawks by his reputation, from Midoriya's explanation. As a hero alone, he's astoundingly good. But what this hero is like as a man, if he's a man worthy of his precious Nana, that is a different matter entirely.

"He knows, you know?" Nana suddenly blurts out, looking to him with bottom lip drawn back between her teeth. She continues, "That All Might is my dad."

"I didn't realise you were that serious, Nana-tan."

"I- well, I guess? I mean, I've known him for nearly ten months now and we've been dating two? If we were ready to tell the whole world last month, it's only fair that I told him, right?" She worries her hands back and forth around the phone, still chewing on her lip and she's looking to him for validation, Toshinori realises. He's, he's not exactly got a good track record with secure, long-term relationships.

Yet, this is clearly important to Nana.

"I really like him."

"You're a good judge of character, Nana-tan. I… I could spare thirty minutes of time to meet him, if you want?" As he says it, it hits Toshinori that he's not just saying this for Nana's benefit. He wants to meet this boy, not as the Number One Hero speaking to his junior, the Number Three. He wants to meet this boy as a father, to assert that Hawks is as serious about this relationship as what Nana seems to be.

Nana blinks at him, once then twice. Then, she smiles, rubbing at one side of her face.

"I, I think I'd like that… maybe next month. I'll run it by Hawks and see what days he has off and if he's willing."

"Ahh, Nana-tan. You've just rubbed ink onto your face."

"What?!" She springs up, racing for the window to peer at her reflection and Toshinori watches as her shoulders sag with a groan. "Damn it. I hate ink pens."

* * *

**Sorry about the excess fluff. I started writing then suddenly there was 2,000 words of it? So, yeah, little bit longer than normal. **

**Tsume  
****xxx**


	19. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

Hero Time - New Upload!

**Fortify – Hero Student Full Body Workout 01** (21:52)

* * *

"Oh, hello."

Leaning against railings, Keigo grins down at Nana as she stares up at him with a similar expression on her face. She's still in her workout gear, the camera she'd been recording with now held in one hand and blissfully unaware of the views that're already racking up on the video she just posted. "Inspiring the next generation today, are we?"

"Izuku asked me for workout ideas now that he's getting to the end of his pre-planned exercises and I figured there might be a few other hero students out there that want to be in shape but aren't quite sure how to do it safely or correctly. A video reference might be helpful."

"Well, if it tanks-" though he doubts it, given his last look at the view count. "-then you can take comfort in the fact I appreciated watching it. Didn't follow along, but definitely watched it."

Nana laughs, pulling on a tracksuit jacket that matches the cool blue of her trainers, though clashes with the bold red of her leggings. The twin plaited tails of hair get flicked back over her shoulders and Keigo climbs the railings of the balcony he's landed on, dropping to the sidewalk with only a single beat of his wings to lessen the impact. It's early morning, before the work-crush on public transport and the sun is only just dawning. There's not a lot of people around at all other than the occasional jogger. All three who have passed by so far have gawked at him; Keigo has cheerfully waved until they return the gesture.

"Maybe you should follow along," Nana muses, stretching her arms up over her head and Keigo takes a moment to appreciate the lean lines and generous curves of her body. "It could be fun working out together."

Keigo considers to for a moment; they're both fit because of their jobs, though there's no disputing that Nana is the physically fittest out of the two of them. She's a power and speed melee fighter and he's more a long-range support speedster. He supposes there are a few exercises that could suit them both and it would be a nice thing to do together.

"Plus, we can do couple stretches then," Nana chirps, bouncing forwards and Keigo catches her hands, threading her fingers through his own, skin against supple leather. A little stretch up on his tiptoes and his lips meet Nana's in a quick kiss.

"Couple stretches?" Colour him intrigued.

"Well, technically it's called partner yoga, but I'm sure you can get the idea. Or, you know, google it. Have you slept yet?"

"Saying I look rough, Babe?"

Nana smiles, hand on his cheek and thumb tracing the tender skin beneath one eye. Okay, so he has just gotten off a night shift but it's February Fourteenth. He'd booked the day off weeks in advance; it's the first time he's not worked the day. Just because he'd never been in a relationship doesn't mean he was ignorant; lots of other heroes had significant others and wanted the time off. Keigo hadn't minded picking up the slack.

"Just a little windswept, though I'm told it's part of your charm, Nugget." Adjoined, their hands swing side to side between them, though Keigo can't quite tell if it's Nana or him putting forth the keep to get them moving. He's been looking forwards to Valentine's Day for a few weeks now, but by god does a nap sound appealing. With sand stuck to her forehead and cheeks, Nana's looking like she could use some time out too and given she'd spent the morning creating a workout video for teenaged hero-hopefuls, she'd probably not expected him to show up this early. Won't ruin whatever she's got planned. He hopes.

"Alright, a nap sounds great. Though you gotta lay with me until I drop off; your hug to kiss ratio is down again."

.

"Still sure you want a half-wet bed-buddy?"

It is with great strength of will that Keigo peels one eyelid back, having already reached the stage of a lethargic doze in the five minutes he's been laid down on Nana's bed. He's had to dismiss about seventy percent of his feathers to even lay comfortably; while she's got a big double bed, it's nothing on his. He'll summon the mass of feathers back once he's had a nap. Hopefully, Nana won't be too bothered about the red pile-up that's appeared beneath her window. He's exhausted.

But he can't quite pass up the opportunity her sentence offers.

"Can't say I've had a partner half-wet when we're in bed." His eye slides shut without any conscious thought, though it'd thankfully been open long enough for him to memorise Nana's 'lazy day' look. Sports bra, matching panties, damp hair still in the process of being towel dried. It's cute. homely, even.

Would this be what it'd be like if they moved in together? The thought comes and slowly glides across his mind, a downpour of ideas following. An apartment with his bed because it's clearly superior to Nana's, but with her taste in decoration because this sunset-yellow, calm grey colour scheme she's got going on? It's brilliant. Then there's all sorts of other ideas that are really quite stupid but daydreaming about it is, for some reason, so pleasant? Nana's shoes by his at the door, cooking together on a night, morning kisses and joint showers. Okay, that last one isn't so much a warming thing as it is a horny thing. He's too tired to chase that thought right now.

"Walked right in to that one, didn't I?"

"Mmm, you did. In bed, now."

"Alert the press, cool and calm Hawks gets grumpy when he's tired," Nana mocks, the mattress shifting as she climbs on and then there's an arm over his midriff, a warm body pressing up against his side. He can feel the press of metal against his hipbones; the bellybutton piercing.

"Why don't you have your ears pierced?" Curse his observant, inquisitive brain but the question's been bugging him since the day he discovered the damn bellybutton piercing. Clearly it's not an issue with needles, but then, why?

"Mmm, the white lie is I didn't fancy it," Nana muses, shifting her head as his wiggles an arm under her neck. He bends it to better stroke the slightly damp skin of her back. "The truth is one of my earlobes is attached, the other isn't and I'm vain enough that I didn't want to draw attention to that genetic hiccup." Huffing a laugh, Keigo slots that information away to be reviewed at a later date. Sleep comes first right now. Only-

"Don't let me sleep the whole day away, Babe. No matter how handsome I look while laying here."

.

He wakes up to the smell of something amazing. Inhaling sharply, Keigo sits himself up, running one hand through his hair and down the side of his face, summoning half the feathers he'd piled up. They reattach with ease, brushing against the bared skin of his back and hips, settling across the grey bedspread a moment later. The covers are twisted around his feet, kicked off his body at some point during his nap; the sun's still up so he can't have slept too long. Arms up over his head, Keigo stretches and rolls hi shoulders, taking in the room now that his thought processes are much more coherent. While Nana has slept at his a few times now, this is the first time he's crashed at hers; New Years Day he's had to leave for an early morning shift which had sucked. Drunken villains are the worst.

Sliding up onto his feet, Keigo has two feathers swiftly make the bed, making for the bookcase and browsing the titles. There's a few on heroics law, some on history; he's quite amused to spot the old All Might comics wedged along one shelf. She's got to have every issue there and they're all dog-eared. He's not really read them himself, though watching the cartoon of the Number One's time in America is a thing he's experienced. He doubts there's a single kid in Japan who hasn't seen at least a clip of that show, it's the just before school starts favourite. Keigo runs his fingers along the spines of a few notebooks, so labelled, some not. There's a few that are diaries, several notebooks from Nana's time at UA (Heroics - Year 2, Book 1'. Man, she's so neat. It's cute. He'll have to ask to read them one day.

.

Pushing open the bedroom door, he makes for the little kitchenette, sliding up onto the bar stool and planting his chin in his hand, elbow on the counter. Nana spins and he's a bit disappointed in the lack of 'kiss the cook' apron. It's plain blue. Boring.

"Good afternoon, sleeping well?"

"Yeah. Your mattress is small but it almost makes up for that in how comfortable it was." And how it had smelt like her, every bit of fabric a cosy little reminder. "I'd say get a bigger one but then your room would be literally bed and books, no floor space to be seen." Okay, he's exaggerating. She's got a desk and a rug and some floor space in there too but, compared to his own apartment? It's small.

Nana hums, stirring the gravy in the pan before she abandons the cooker for a moment, leaning over the counter to plant a kiss on his, one Keigo lazily returns. Not lacklustre lazy but the 'don't need to rush a good thing' kind of lazy.

"Not that I'm complaining, but is there a reason you're only in your underwear?"

"You mean you don't appreciate the view?"

"Oh, I appreciate it very much," Nana says over one shoulder, back to tending to her multiple pans, microwave dinging in the background. He's assuming it's a western dish, something chicken based. He can smell it, probably in the oven, roasting away. "But I want a photo of our first Valentine's Day, one I can put up in a photo frame and not have visitors gawk at."

Keigo laughs, grinning at the expressions these metaphorical guests might pull.

"How about a picture for your hallway and then a different one for you bedroom? I would very much like a copy of the second one to put on display in my apartment, one I can look at when you're off at work and think 'ah, that's why I get up in the morning."

Nana giggles, whipping the tea-towel she'd been using as a temporary over mid towards but Keigo catches the end with ease, freeing the material from her grip.

"Alright, Abs. I'll go put a shirt on." Only a shirt though.

.

They have dinner (roast chicken dinner, made from her Mother's handwritten recipe book and Keigo would be lying if he said he wasn't a little touched by that) and take a respectable photo. They're both sitting up to table, Keigo with the traditional Valentine's Day chocolates Nana has made for him on the table, Nana still in her terribly boring apron.

Talking with Nana is easy; they've covered everything from modern day heroics to the pre-quirk period, what they've both been up to during the last four days since they've seen each other, and the reason why Nana has suddenly decided to create workout videos.

"-sharing ideas is how we've bettered society in the past and being real heroes isn't a competition. If someone is better at it then so what? We should all just be striving to do our best and improve."

"Hey, I agree." Keigo throws in with his hands up in surrender, knocking his foot against hers under the table, twisting the spoon he's using in his steady demolishing of the cheesecake desert. "The more effective heroes can be, the more chance I have of getting a day off."

"I think Dad made great arrived on the roll of a hero in society, but he made himself too indispensable; once he retires, there's gonna be a great big vacuum that no one who's in the game at the moment can fill... I reckon it'll be teamwork that makes the dream work." Nana clicks her finger and thumb in a little finger gun movement, winking with the gesture. Keigo fires one back at her. "Though, speaking of Dad... how do you feel about meeting up with him at some point? Not as Hawks to All Might, but as, like, my boyfriend to my Dad?"

How does he feel about that? Er, nervous. Excited too; if Nana wants him to meet her parent then clearly she's as serious about this as he is. Maybe daydreaming about moving in together isn't so unrealistic after all?

"Yeah- that's serious, isn't it? Should I wear a suit? Ask for formal permission to court his daughter?" Sitting up straight, Keigo leans over the table a bit, peering into Nana's eyes and he waits for her cheeks to start flushing. "I mean, we've been dating for three months now and that's a quarter of a year, will he be offended that I'm so late? Would it be in my best interests to whisk you away to my apartment where you can read and workout to your heart's content?"

"I think moving in comes after meeting parents to be hon- hey!" Nana dives for him across the table but it's too late; he's slipped the stolen bit of cheesecake between his lips and her plate is now officially empty. With a flap of his wings, he stops the both of them from toppling back onto the floor, instead leaving him still sitting in his seat and Nana sprawled across the table.

"Food thief," Nana grumbles, one hand bunched up in his shirt, the other keeping her torso elevated so she doesn't end up with a gravy stain across the front of her shirt.

Keigo croons, "it was an easy steal too! You left your plate pretty much undefended!"

"Don't think you'll grow any taller just by eating some more." Ah, a height jab.

"Just means I don't have to angle my head as far down as some others to stare at you're ass. What, you needed that last bite of cheesecake exercise energy?" He's leaning forwards now, breath a little short and he's not imagining the way Nana's pupils are getting bigger, the blue irises retracting as she stares at him.

"I was planning on a different form of exercise tonight." A diff-

It clicks and Keigo closes that space between them, eager lips finding Nana's.

.

He ends up dumping feathers under Nana's window again (bloody small bed) for a few more hours.

Perfect Valentine's Day; he's so looking forwards to next year.

* * *

**Actual plot chapter next, I swear.**

**Tsume  
****xxx**


End file.
